Integration of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) with calcium sulphate (CaSO 4 ): A friendly treatment for extending shelf‐life and maintaining postharvest quality of sweet cherry fruit

Abstract

In this work, the effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) and calcium sulphate (CaSO4), alone or in combination, on the postharvest quality of sweet cherry fruit was studied at 4°C during 45 days. The results showed that the use of PPE and CaSO4 coatings, alone or in combination, significantly improved the postharvest quality of cherry fruit during storage and decreased weight loss, decay, respiration rate, and increased acidity, firmness, ascorbic acid, DPPH, total phenolic compounds, and total anthocyanin content of the treated fruit compared to control. In all experiments, the optimal performance order of treatments was CaSO4 1% + PPE (400 ppm) as compare to other treatments. The results of the colorimetric analysis showed that the combination of PPE and CaSO4 significantly preserved fruit color during storage. According to the evaluators, cherry fruit treated with PPE and CaSO4 scored higher than the other samples and the control sample. Practical applications The results of this study show that the combined treatment of sweet cherry with PPE and CaSO4 can maintain the quality of fruit during storage.