Abstract
Peach is a climacteric highly-perishable fruit whose post-harvest preservation relies largely on cold storage. The combination of the last with other technologies allows to extend the shelf life of this product. One alternative is the utilization of salicylic acid, a natural compound involved in many physiological phenomena such as resistance against diseases and ripening. Considering these facts, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest application of salicylic acid solutions on the quality of ‘Chimarrita’ peaches during post-harvest cold storage. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Pelotas/RS, in the campus of Capão do Leão/RS - Brazil. The application of salicylic acid solutions was performed by direct pulverization on the fruits, 30 days prior to harvest. The concentrations were: 0,0 (control); 1,0; 1,5; and 2,0 mM. After harvest, the fruits were stored in a cold chamber at 1,0 ± 0,5°C and 85-90% RH, for 30 days. The analyses were performed at the following cold storage periods (plus 2 days at room temperature of 20°C to all treatments, in order to simulate commercialization conditions): 10 (+2) days; 20 (+2) days; e 30 (+2) days. The variables evaluated were: mass loss (%); flesh firmness (N); DA index; color (L, a*, b* and hue angle); wooliness incidence (%); rot incidence (%); total soluble solids (°Brix); pH; titrable acidity (% of organic acids); and ratio. The salicylic acid doses and/or the cold storage periods had significant effects on all the evaluated parameters. For most of the parameters analyzed, the intermediate dosis of 1mM (and also 1,5mM) of salicilic acid showed the most promising results. Therefore, the application of salicylic acid solutions 30 days prior to harvest is a technique which can be combined to cold storage in order to shift the quality and the shelf-life of ‘Chimarrita’ peaches.
Highlights
The peach tree is a native species from China, belonging to the group of the stone fruits
Considering what was discussed above, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest application of salicylic acid on ‘Chimarrita’ peaches, with regard to physicochemical characteristics and rot incidence after cold storage and commercialization simulation
Similar results were found for ‘Elberta’ peaches treated with salicylic acid and refrigerated, which showed significant lower mass losses with the use of salicylic acid concentrations of 1,0 and 2,0 mM (Khademi and Ershadi, 2013)
Summary
The peach tree is a native species from China, belonging to the group of the stone fruits. Brazil is the 13th biggest peach producer worldwide, with a production of 216.000 tons. The climacteric behavior is of special concern for the post-harvest management, because the fruit continues its ripening processes after harvest, being a perishable product with short shelf-life (Kerbauy, 2012). Many factors during the post-harvest handling might increase the ethylene production and the respiration rate – both physiological phenomena are directly linked to significant losses during distribution and commercialization. Important examples of these factors are: elevated temperatures (Barreto et al 2016a); mechanical injuries (Kasat et al 2007); and diseases. As highlighted by Parisi et al (2015), diseases represent the main cause of product losses
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