Sodium Alginate Coating with Pomegranate Seed Oil: A Novel Approach to Preserve Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) Fruit

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, Bandarabbas, Iran.

2 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

3 Department of Horticulture Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran

10.22059/ijhst.2024.378966.877

Abstract

Postharvest weight loss and color alteration are common quality deterioration issues in lime fruit. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of sodium alginate (SA) coatings (0.5% and 1%), both in separation and in conjunction with pomegranate seed oil (PSO), in maintaining the quality and freshness of Mexican lime fruits over a 24-day storage period, at 20 ± 2 ℃ and 50-60% relative humidity. Results showed that the control group had dehydrated and browned peels at the end of storage, while the SA (0.5%) + PSO treatment significantly maintained visual quality and prevented weight loss (12%) compared to control (19.8%). PSO alone prevented weight loss (12.5%) but increased fruit browning and decreased visual quality. Treated fruits effectively inhibited polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, with the SA (0.5%) + PSO treatment showing the lowest PPO activity, reducing it by around 41% compared to the control. The activity of the POD enzyme in SA (0.5%) + PSO and SA (1%) was approximately four times higher than the control group. All the treated fruits, excluding those treated with PSO, demonstrated a significant discrepancy in the a* level compared to the control group. Excluding the PSO treatment, the remaining treatments exhibited higher total phenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity in comparison to the control at the end of storage. The results indicate that the utilization of the SA (0.5%) + PSO treatment can preserve the quality and freshness of Mexican lime fruit when stored at ambient temperature.

Keywords

International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 31 October 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 05 July 2024
  • Revise Date: 28 August 2024
  • Accept Date: 16 September 2024

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