Fatemeh Ranjbari; Farid Moradinezhad; Mehdi Khayyat
Abstract
Pomegranate is a subtropical fruit that is widely consumed as fresh fruit and juice, however, its postharvest life is limited mainly due to storage disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on antioxidant activity and quality attributes of pomegranate fruit. The ...
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Pomegranate is a subtropical fruit that is widely consumed as fresh fruit and juice, however, its postharvest life is limited mainly due to storage disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nitric oxide (NO) on antioxidant activity and quality attributes of pomegranate fruit. The fruits were dipped for two minutes into different NO concentrations (0, 30, 100, 300 or 1000 µM). Then, the fruits were stored in cold room at 5 °C and RH 85%. After 90 days storage, changes in chilling injury, electrolyte leakage, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), pH, antioxidant activity and total anthocyanin were evaluated. The results showed that 1000 µM NO application resulted in significant decrease in electrolyte leakage and TSS and maintained antioxidant activity and total anthocyanin in pomegranate fruit. However, no significant effect of NO treatment was observed on TA and chilling injury index. In conclusion, postharvest application of NO may be a promising method for maintaining quality of pomegranate fruit during cold storage.
Siamak Kalantari; Mohsen Hatami; Mojtaba Delshad
Abstract
Sensitivity of tomato fruits to chilling injury limits its storage and marketability. This study investigated the effect of hot water treatment (HWT) on reducing the consequences of chilling injury (CI) with respect to quality attributes of tomatoes during storage. Tomatoes were harvested at three ripening ...
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Sensitivity of tomato fruits to chilling injury limits its storage and marketability. This study investigated the effect of hot water treatment (HWT) on reducing the consequences of chilling injury (CI) with respect to quality attributes of tomatoes during storage. Tomatoes were harvested at three ripening stages: mature green, pink, and red; dipped in hot water at 45°C for 15 min; and stored at three storage temperature conditions: 5°C, 13°C, and a simulated condition (SC: 3 days at 25°C and then at 5°C) representing the time between harvest and consumption by consumer. Quality analysis was carried out at the beginning of the experiment and every 10 days of storage 3 days of shelf life evaluation. Fruit color, lycopene content, weight loss, and CI were evaluated during the experiment. HWT reduced CI in mature green tomatoes but had little effect in pink and red fruits. It also caused delay in surface color development and reduced weight loss. During storage, heated mature green fruits often had significantly more lycopene content but low a* compared with unheated ones, whereas in heated red fruits, both a* and lycopene content were lower than unheated ones. This study showed that HWT could be used to reduce CI in mature green tomatoes, but not in pink and red fruits.
