Preservation of Postharvest Quality of Fresh-Cut Cauliflower through Exogenous Putrescine, Citric Acid and Salicylic Acid Treatments

Abstract

Cauliflower is among the perishable vegetables after harvest. In recent years, the popularity of fresh-cut cauliflower has increased among consumers as a minimally processed product. This study was carried out to determine the effects of exogenous putrescine (PUT), citric acid (CA) and salicylic acid (SA) treatments on postharvest quality of fresh-cut cauliflower stored at 4±0.5 °C and 90±5% relative humidity for 21 days. In the study, a total of seven different treatments using two different doses (0.5 and 1.0 mM) of PUT, CA and SA were investigated. To evaluate the quality of fresh-cut cauliflower, the necessary measurements and analyzes were performed at periodic intervals on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 of storage. The results demonstrated that quality properties changed significantly depending on the postharvest treatments and storage durations. With the increase of storage duration, weight loss and ash content increased, while K, Zn and Cu contents decreased. In general, the treatments examined in the study had positive effects on postharvest quality of cauliflower. Among the treatments, especially 1.0 mM PUT was found to be more effective. Compared to the control, 1.0 mM PUT treatment decreased weight loss by 61.32%, though it increased protein content by 14.48% and P content by 21.55%. It was concluded that 1.0 mM PUT treatment can be recommended as an alternative application method to extend the storage life of fresh-cut cauliflower and reduce postharvest quality losses.