Articles
Postharvest strategies to extend the commercial life of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit through chilling injury alleviation and modified atmosphere packaging
Article number
1464_28
Pages
215 – 220
Language
English
Abstract
The long-term storage of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate is largely constrained by its susceptibility to chilling injury (CI). This study aimed to optimize postharvest handling strategies by reducing CI sensitivity and improving storage conditions to extend the fruit’s commercial shelf life (SL). Two experimental lines were conducted during the study.
Line 1 investigated the effectiveness of various postharvest elicitors such as methyl jasmonate (5 mM), salicylic acid (2 mM), oxalic acid (2 mM), and putrescine (6 mM) on fruit stored under chilling temperature (2°C) for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days.
After each storage period, the fruit was transferred to room temperature for a 3-day SL simulation.
Line 2 evaluated a commercial-scale storage solution using active modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 4°C with polyethylene bags, combined with the most effective elicitor identified in line 1. Results from line 1 showed that fruit treated with oxalic acid exhibited the lowest CI throughout cold storage (0%) and SL periods (0% after 30, 60, and 90 days;<5% after 120 days). These fruits also had the lowest electrolyte leakage (<17%) after 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of storage followed by a 3-day SL. In line 2, oxalic acid-treated pomegranates stored in MAP showed minimal CI during the storage.
In conclusion, 2 mM oxalic acid combined with MAP may contribute to reduce CI and preserves pomegranate fruit quality during extended cold storage, securing better quality of fresh fruit for commercial application.
Line 1 investigated the effectiveness of various postharvest elicitors such as methyl jasmonate (5 mM), salicylic acid (2 mM), oxalic acid (2 mM), and putrescine (6 mM) on fruit stored under chilling temperature (2°C) for 30, 60, 90, and 120 days.
After each storage period, the fruit was transferred to room temperature for a 3-day SL simulation.
Line 2 evaluated a commercial-scale storage solution using active modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 4°C with polyethylene bags, combined with the most effective elicitor identified in line 1. Results from line 1 showed that fruit treated with oxalic acid exhibited the lowest CI throughout cold storage (0%) and SL periods (0% after 30, 60, and 90 days;<5% after 120 days). These fruits also had the lowest electrolyte leakage (<17%) after 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of storage followed by a 3-day SL. In line 2, oxalic acid-treated pomegranates stored in MAP showed minimal CI during the storage.
In conclusion, 2 mM oxalic acid combined with MAP may contribute to reduce CI and preserves pomegranate fruit quality during extended cold storage, securing better quality of fresh fruit for commercial application.
Authors
A. Fathi-Najafabadi, L. Russo, D. Fatchurrahman, D. Cortés-Montaña, M.L. Amodio, G. Colelli
Keywords
quality, damage, electrolyte leakage, cold storage, elicitors
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