Postharvest Salicylic Acid Treatment Influences Some Quality Attributes in Air-Stored Pomegranate Fruit

Nurdan Tuna Güneş,Burak Variş,Mert Yildiz,Özge Horzum

doi:10.15832/ankutbd.549669

Abstract

Popularity of pomegranate fruit has increased in recent years because of its health benefit content, economic value and medicinal characteristics. Since pomegranate fruit is perishable species, prolonging storage life, keeping fruit quality during storage and marketing period with minimum quality and quantity loss after harvest are essential. Influence of salicylic acid treatments on some quality properties in ‘Hicaznar’ cultivar fruit were investigated in the current study. After harvest at commercial maturity, fruit were exposed to salicylic acid (SA) treatments. Controls (C1) were untreated. The other groups were dipped into a solution containing 0.01% Tween 20 (C2), 0.01% Tween 20+2 mM SA (SA1), and 0.01% Tween 20+4 mM SA (SA2). Then fruit were stored at 5±1 °C temperature, 85-90% relative humidity for 120 days. Changes in fruit skin and aril color, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, weight loss and chilling injury rate total phenolic content, antioxidant activity were followed at 60 days intervals. Neither SA1 nor SA2 affected total phenolic content and antioxidant activity levels of fruit. But, both treatments helped to maintain C* values in arils and skin, titratable acidity and soluble solids content. Since SA2 treatment significantly reduced chilling injury symptoms during cold storage period of 120 days, it could be considered as promising postharvest technology.

Highlights

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has been a traditional fruit cultivated for many years
According to Kader et al (1984), ‘Wonderful’ cultivar fruit show chilling injury when it is stored at temperature lower than 5 °C for longer periods and a storage temperature of 7 °C is recommended
Similar trend were observed in skin C* values and compared to the harvest time (47.62), the lowest C* (42.41) value were determined at the end of storage period

Summary

Introduction

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has been a traditional fruit cultivated for many years. Recent studies revealed the positive effects of pomegranate fruit on human health, especially because of its high antioxidant activity (Wang et al 2018). It is rich in sugar, pectin, vitamin C, amino acids, mineral substances, fiber and phenolic compounds (Aviram et al 2000). Pomegranate fruit have a non-climacteric respiration pattern (Kader 2006) Even if they have long storage period at the proper temperature, chilling injury, fungal decay and weight loss which are major limiting factors for long storage period, can cause fruit losses at an important rates. ‘Hicaznar’ fruit can be stored under cold storage conditions for 4 months (Candir et al 2018) and under controlled atmospheric conditions for 5 months (Koyuncu et al 2019) at 6 °C temperature

Methods

Results

Conclusion