Postharvest ascorbic acid application maintained physiological and antioxidant responses of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) at ambient storage

Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava) is a highly perishable fruit with a short shelf life as physico-chemical changes occur continuously and rapidly after harvest leading to heavy postharvest losses. This experiment was laid down to unravel the effects of ascorbic acid (AA) on ripened guava fruits to improve its shelf life and quality. Four different concentrations of AA namely 0, 50, 100, 200 ppm were used to treat guava fruit for five minutes followed by storage at 25±2 °C and ≥80% relative humidity (RH) for 12 days. Physiological and biochemical changes were studied, together with the specific enzymatic activities for catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD). The results revealed that ascorbic acid treatments significantly reduced PWL, fruit decay percentage and suppressed pH and sugar/acid ratio than control fruits. Furthermore, soluble solid content, total acidity, total sugar, vitamin C and total phenolic contents were recorded higher in 200 ppm AA-treated fruits and maintained higher eating quality than control fruits. In addition, SOD, POD and CAT activities were observed higher in 200 ppm AA-treated fruits than control. The results clearly demonstrate that 200 ppm AA application have a potential to improve quality attributes of guava fruit.