Effects of acidic electrolyzed-oxidizing water treatment on the postharvest physiology, storability, and quality properties of navel orange fruit

Abstract

Postharvest navel oranges are susceptible to fruit spoilage and quality deterioration, which restricts their storage-life and commercial values. Acidic electrolyzed-oxidizing water (AEOW) is a safe, economic and environmentally friendly postharvest treatment method that can maintain the quality of fresh products and prolong their storage life. Effects of AEOW with pH 2.5 and 75 mg/L of available chlorine concentration (ACC) on the storability and quality properties of ‘Newhall’ navel orange fruit during postharvest storage from 0 to 180 d were detected. Compared with the control group, AEOW-treated navel oranges displayed a lower respiration rate and cell membrane permeability, lower occurrence of fruit disease and weight loss, a higher commercially acceptable fruit rate, higher values of L*, b*, C as well as h°, and lower values of a* and citrus color index. Moreover, samples treated with AEOW were able to maintain higher contents of flesh carotenoid, flavonoid, and total phenolics. The AEOW treatment was conducive to maintaining higher fruit firmness and postponing the decomposition of flesh total soluble solids, total soluble sugar, sucrose sugar, reducing sugar, and vitamin C, and maintaining higher titratable acidity of navel oranges during storage. These findings corroborated that the AEOW treatment could be a means for maintaining quality attributes and improving the storability of navel oranges.