Document Type : Research paper
Authors
1
Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, Hormozgan, Iran
2
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology Engineering, College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Abstract
Bell pepper exports usually face limitations in storage, marketing, and delivery timing, which may result from rapid fruit ripening after harvest and microbial contamination. These adverse effects can highly reduce the qualitative properties of the fruit and exacerbate fruit spoilage. However, unique postharvest approaches can prevent these unwanted outcomes. Edible coating treatments can prolong shelf life after harvesting various fruits. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of chitosan as an edible coating at four levels (0, 0.5, 1, and 2%) and storage durations (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days). The treatments affected the postharvest quality of bell pepper (cv. ‘California Wonder’). The experiment comprised four replications, using two factorialbalanced analyses of variance based on a randomized complete design (CRD). In measuring enzyme activity after 28 days of storage, the results showed that the chitosan treatment (2%) significantly reduced the activity of peroxidase (76.25%) and polyphenol oxidase enzymes (37.05%) compared to the control. However, it significantly increased antioxidant capacity, total phenol, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase activities by 41.7, 21.5, 21.7, 32.25, 59.05, and 58.10%, respectively. Moreover, the results showed that different concentrations of chitosan, especially the 2% concentration, maintained the postharvest quality of bell pepper and delayed fruit aging compared to the control. According to the results, the edible chitosan coating can increase the shelf life of bell pepper fruits.
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