Evaluating the Effects of Citric Acid Application on Reducing Decay, Maintaining Edibility and Shelf Life of Peach Fruits in Cold Storage

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Aleppo University and Tehran University

2 Assistant Professor, Karaj Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Department of Horticulture and Green Space, Specialty: Fruit Planting, Postharvest Physiology, Pomegranate

3 Plant Biology and Physiology / Mineral Nutrition of Plants of Karaj Agricultural and Natural Resources Campus

Abstract

Peach fruit (Prunus persica L.) was harvested at the stage of commercial harvest and was then treated with 0, 1, 2, 3 mM citric acid (CiA). A factorial model was planned on a completely randomized block design with three replications. Two factors were used in the experimental design, i.e. 4 storage durations × 4 concentrations of CiA. The impact of CiA was evaluated on postharvest quality parameters, decay incidence (DI), vitamin C, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity, as the peach fruits were maintained in cold storage at 0 ± 0.5 ˚C and 85-90% relative humidity (RH) for 40 days. By the end of the storage time, peach fruits that were treated with 3 mM CiA showed statistical significance and resulted in the highest values of fruit firmness (FF) (1.75 N), titratable acidity (TA) (0.24%), vitamin C (VC) (3.58 mg.100g-1 FW), total phenolic compounds (TPC) (58.49 mg GAE.100g-1 WF) and antioxidant capacity (AC) (52.96%). CiA treatments significantly controlled the DI by about 30.17 % and remarkably extended the shelf life by about 11.66 days, compared to the control samples during the cold storage. Our findings suggested that using CiA, especially at 3 mM, could be a promising treatment in helping to maintain edibility and to inhibit decay in peach fruits. While these can play an important role in the marketing and export of peach fruits, other benefits include a low cost of the chemical inputs and more safety for human consumption.
 
Abbreviations
Citric acid (CiA), Decay incidence (DI), Vitamin C (VC), Total phenolic compounds (TPC), Antioxidant capacity (AC), Fruit Weight loss (FWL), Fruit firmness (FF), Titratable acidity (TA), Total soluble solid (TSS), Relative humidity (RH)

Keywords

References

Abbasi, N.A., Hafeez, S., Tareen, M.J. 2009. Salicylic acid prolongs shelf life and improves quality of “maria Delicia” peach fruit. Acta Horticulturae 880, 191–198.
Adel A. Kader., 2001. “Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops,” Chapter in The U.S. Fresh Produce Industry: An Industry in Transition. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, pp27-117, publication 3311.
Alhaj Alali, F., Askari Sarcheshmeh, M.A., Babalar, M., 2020. The influence of various levels of ammonium to total nitrogen on post-harvest performance of three apple cultivars (Golab Kohans, Gala, and Granny Smith). DYSONA - Applied Science 1 (1), 11–19.
Allahveran, A., Farokhzad, A., Asghari, M., Sarkhosh, A., 2018. Foliar application of ascorbic and Citric acid s enhanced ‘Red Spur’ apple fruit quality, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants 24 (3), 433–440.
Ansorena, M.R., Moreira, M.R., Roura, S.I., 2014. Combined effect of ultrasound, mild heat shock and Citric acid to retain greenness, nutritional and microbiological quality of minimally processed broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.): An optimization study. Postharvest Biology and Technology 94, 1–13.
Barzegar, T., Fateh, M., Razavi, F., 2018. Enhancement of postharvest sensory quality and antioxidant capacity of sweet pepper fruits by foliar applying calcium lactate and ascorbic acid. Scientia Horticulturae 241, 293–303.
Chéour, F., Willemot, C., Arul, J., Makhlouf, J., Desjardins, Y., 1991. Postharvest Response of Two Strawberry Cultivars to Foliar Application of CaCl2. HortScience 26(9), 1186–1188.
De Oliveira, E.F., Cossu, A., Tikekar, R. V, Nitin, N., Björkroth, J., 2017. Enhanced Antimicrobial Activity Based on a Synergistic Combination of Sublethal Levels of Stresses Induced by UV-A Light and Organic Acids. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 83(11), 383– 400.
El Kobisy, D. S., Kady, K. A., & Medani, R.A., 2005. Response Of Pea Plant Pisum Sativum L. to Treatment With Ascorbic Acid. Elad, Y., 1992. The use of antioxidants (free radical scavengers) to control grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) and white mould (Sclerotinia sclerotiomm) in various crops. Plant Pathology 41(4), 417–426.
Faostat. 2021. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation. Fayed, T.A., 2010. Effect of some Antioxidants on Growth, Yield and Bunch Characteristics of Thompson Seedless Grapevine. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Science, 8(3), 322-328.
Abd El-Aziz, M., 2020. Effect of Hydro-cooling and Immersion in Salicylic Acid and Citric acid on Quality and Storability of Guava Fruits (Psidium guajava L.). Annals of Agricultural Science, Moshtohor 58(3), 615– 632.
Hodges, R.J., Buzby, J.C., Bennett, B. 2011. Foresight Project On Global Food And Farming Futures Postharvest Losses And Waste In Developed And Less Developed Countries: opportunities to improve resource use. Journal of Agricultural Science 149, 37- 45.
Hummel, I., Pantin, F., Sulpice, R., Piques, M., Rolland, G., Dauzat, M., Christophe, A., Pervent, M., Bouteillé, M., Stitt, M., Gibon, Y., Muller, B., 2010. Arabidopsis plants acclimate to water deficit at low cost through changes of carbon usage: An integrated perspective using growth, metabolite, enzyme, and gene expression analysis. Plant Physiology 154(1), 357–372.
Hussain, S.B., Shi, C.Y., Guo, L.X., Kamran, H.M., Sadka, A., Liu, Y.Z., 2017. Recent Advances in the Regulation of Citric acid Metabolism in Citrus Fruit. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 36(4), 241–256.
Jiang, Y., Pen, L., Li, J., 2004. Use of Citric acid for shelf life and quality maintenance of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut. Journal of Food Engineering 63(3), 325–328.
Kader, A.A., 1999. Fruit maturity, ripening, and quality relationships. Acta Horticulturae. Kok, D., Bal, E., 2019. Changes on Bioactive Compounds and Electrochemical Characteristics of cv. Horoz Karası Table Grape (V. vinifera L.) Induced by Various Doses of Preharvest Applications of Benzoic Acid, Citric acid and Oxalic Acid at Berry Setting and Verasion Periods. Erwerbs-Obstbau 61(1), 17–24.
Lin, L., Wang, B., Wang, M., Cao, J., Zhang, J., Wu, Y., Jiang, W., 2008. Effects of a chitosan-based coating with ascorbic acid on post-harvest quality and core browning of “Yali” pears (Pyrus bertschneideri Rehd.). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 88(5), 877–884.
Liu, K., Liu, J., Li, H., Yuan, C., Zhong, J., Chen, Y., 2016. Influence of postharvest Citric acid and chitosan coating treatment on ripening attributes and expression of cell wall related genes in cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) fruit. Scientia Horticulturae 198, 1–11.
Lurie, S., Crisosto, C.H., 2005. Chilling injury in peach and nectarine. Postharvest Biology and Technology 37(3), 195–208. Macarisin, D., Cohen, L., Eick, A., Rafael, G., Belausov, E., Wisniewski, M., Droby, S., 2007. Penicillium digitatum suppresses production of hydrogen peroxide in host tissue during infection of citrus fruit. Phytopathology 97(11), 1491–1500.
Majedi M., 1994. Chemical Test Procedures of Food Material. Jahad Daneshgahi, University of Tehran, p.65.
Malekshahi, G., ValizadehKaji, B., 2021. Effects of Postharvest Edible Coatings to Maintain QualitativeProperties and to Extend Shelf-life of Pomegranate (Punica granatum . L ). International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology 8(1), 67–80.
Moreno, J.J., Cerpa-Calderón, F., Cohen, S.D., Fang, Y., Qian, M., Kennedy, J.A., 2008. Effect of postharvest dehydration on the composition of pinot noir grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) and wine. Food Chemistry 109(4), 755–762.
Moya-León, M.A., Vergara, M., Bravo, C., Montes, M.E., Moggia, C., 2006. 1-MCP treatment preserves aroma quality of “Packham’s Triumph” pears during long-term storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology 42(2), 185–197.
Nascimento, J.I.G., Stamford, T.C.M., Melo, N.F.C.B., Nunes, I. dos S., Lima, M.A.B., Pintado, M.M.E., StamfordArnaud, T.M., Stamford, N.P., Stamford, T.L.M., 2020. Chitosan–Citric acid edible coating to control Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and maintain quality parameters of fresh-cut guava. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 163, 1127–1135.
Nascimento Nunes, M. C. 2009. Color Atlas Of Postharvest Quality Of Fruits And Vegetables.
Joho Wiley & Sons. Ough, C. S, Amerine, M. A. 1988. Methods for analysis of musts and wines. J Wiley. Perkins, M.L., Yuan, Y., Joyce, D.C., 2017. Ultrasonic fog application of organic acids delays postharvest decay in red bayberry. Postharvest Biology and Technology 133, 41–47.
Pushkala, R., Parvathy, K.R., Srividya, N., 2012. Chitosan powder coating, a novel simple technique for enhancement of shelf life quality of carrot shreds stored in macro perforated LDPE packs. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 16, 11–20.
Shokri Heydari, H., Ali Askari Sarcheshmeh, M., Babalar, M., Ranjbar Malidarreh, T., Ahmadi, A., 2020. Effect of Pre-Harvest Salicylic Acid and Iron Treatments on Postharvest Quality of Peach Fruits. International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology 7(2), 187–198.
Sommers, C.H., Fan, X., Handel, A.P., Sokorai, K.B., 2003. Effect of Citric acid on the radiation resistance of Listeria monocytogenes and frankfurter quality factors. Meat Science, 63(3), 407–415.
Dhall, R.K., 2013. Advances in Edible Coatings for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables : A Review. Critical reviews in Food Science and Nuttrition, 53(5), 435-450.
Tulipani, S., Mezzetti, B., Capocasa, F., Bompadre, S., Beekwilder, J., De Vos, C.H.R., Capanoglu, E., Bovy, A., Battino, M., 2008. Antioxidants, phenolic compounds, and nutritional quality of different strawberry genotypes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56(3), 696–704.
Vardar, C., Ilhan, K., Karabulut, O.A., 2012. The application of various disinfectants by fogging for decreasing postharvest diseases of strawberry. Postharvest Biology and Technology 66, 30–34.
Ventura-Aguilar, R.I., Colinas-León, M.T., BautistaBaños, S., 2017. Combination of sodium erythorbate and Citric acid with MAP, extended storage life of sliced oyster mushrooms. LWT - Food Science and Technology 79, 437–444.
Wang, L., Chen, S., Kong, W., Li, S., Archbold, D.D., 2006. Salicylic acid pretreatment alleviates chilling injury and affects the antioxidant system and heat shock proteins of peaches during cold storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology 41(3), 244–251.
White, P.J., 2002. Recent advances in fruit development and ripening: An overview. Journal of Experimental Botany 53(377), 1995–2000.
Winkel-Shirley, B., 2001. Flavonoid biosynthesis. A colorful model for genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and biotechnology. Plant Physiology 126(2), 485–493.
Yang, C., Chen, T., Shen, B., Sun, S., Song, H., Chen, D., Xi, W., 2019. Citric acid treatment reduces decay and maintains the postharvest quality of peach (Prunus persica L.) fruit. Food Science and Nutrition 7(11), 3635–3643.
International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology
Volume 10, Issue 2
April 2023
Pages 149-160

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 11 August 2021
  • Revise Date: 18 March 2022
  • Accept Date: 25 March 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics