Effects of Putrescine Application on Peach Fruit during Storage

Nadeem Abbasi,Irfan Ali,Muhammad Shafiq,Ishfaq Hafiz,Mekhled Alenazi

doi:10.3390/su11072013

Nadeem Abbasi, Irfan Ali + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su11072013

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Abstract

The peach industry faces serious economic losses because of the short “green” life of the fruit at postharvest. In the present study, we investigated the effects of putrescine (PUT) application on the quality characteristics, pattern of ripening, storage behaviour and shelf life of peach fruit during low-temperature storage. The aqueous solution of PUT (0, 1, 2 and 3 mM) was applied to the peach trees at three distinctive stages of fruit growth and development. The fruits, harvested at the commercial stage of maturity, were stored at 1 ± 1 °C and 90 ± 2% relative humidity for 6 weeks. The data for fruit firmness, total soluble solids (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid (AsA) content, rate of ethylene production, chilling injury (CI) index and colour perception were collected at harvest and then on a weekly basis throughout the storage period. The results showed that spray application of PUT significantly reduced the incidence of CI and reduced the rates of fruit softening, loss in fruit weight, SSC, TA, AsA content and fading of skin colour during storage, regardless of the doses of PUT applied, or the time of application. However, the positive effects on the quality characteristics of peach fruit, including CI, were more pronounced with the higher doses of PUT, specifically when applied at 2 mM. In conclusion, CI in peach fruit may be substantially alleviated by the spray application of 1–3 mM PUT during fruit growth without compromising the quality of the fruit for up to 6 weeks in low-temperature storage.

Highlights

Peach (Prunus persica L.) is considered one of the most important stone fruit and it has prodigious demands in the international market
After 6 weeks of cold storage, the minimum physiological loss in fruit weight (PLW) (14.66 and 21.68) were observed in the peach fruit harvested from the trees treated with 2 mM PUT, whereas the highest PLWs (35.16 and 34.66) were recorded in the fruit harvested from the control trees, in the year 2011 and 2012, respectively
The data collected during this study revealed that the peach fruit harvested from the PUT-treated trees were significantly firmer than those harvested from the untreated trees at harvest (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Peach (Prunus persica L.) is considered one of the most important stone fruit and it has prodigious demands in the international market. The ripening process of peach, like other climacteric fruits, is characterized by rapid increases in the rates of cellular respiration and ethylene production [5] that, in turn, cause substantial losses in the quality, including firmness and are, responsible for the shorter postharvest shelf life of the fruit This ripening behaviour of peach fruit epitomizes some serious constraints for efficient management practices such as postharvest handling, storage and transportation. In addition to other strategies, pre-conditioning, intermittent warming, controlled atmosphere storage and the use of semi-permeable/biodegradable coatings are some of the common postharvest practices used to maintain the quality of peaches and extend their postharvest shelf life [6] Many of these practices are associated with undesirable traits of fruit quality such as chilling and/or CO2 injury, production of ethanol and off-flavour taste due to fruit respiration under anaerobic conditions [7]. The seasonality of many peach cultivars dictates their storage for an extended period of time [10]

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