Document Type : Research Paper - Post Harvest Physiology
Authors
1 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.
3 Horticulture Department, Lorestan University
Abstract
Introduction
Today, healthy lifestyle has faced a high demand at the global level and this demand has increased the need to preserve or better store fresh food items such as fruits because of their abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, the increase in post-harvest waste has made it necessary to develop the use of natural compounds compatible with nature and humans, in order to produce products free of harmful substances and with high nutritional value, along with reducing waste.
Materials and Methods
For this purpose, the present experiment is a factorial in the form of a completely randomized design, in 4 replications and includes the first factor of foliar treatments before and after harvesting, including control treatments (spraying with distilled water), chitosan (50 mg/lit) and Nano chitosan (50 and 100 mg/lit) and immersion of the harvested fruits with calcium chloride solution in the post-harvest phase (0 and 2 %) and the second factor of storage time (at 0, 60, 90 and 120 days) ) was carried out on fruits of Golden delicious apple grafted on MM 111 (Malling Merton 111). The foliar spraying before harvesting was done in an 18-year-old apple orchard, located in the Abestan region of Khorramabad city, and the immersion phase was carried out in the laboratory after harvesting at Lorestan University. After initial washing, the fruits were first washed with distilled water, dried and then immersed in calcium chloride solution at room temperature for 8 minutes. Then, in the vicinity of the cool air flow, in order to ensure the removal of excess surface moisture, it was kept in plastic fruit boxes and in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4 ° and a relative humidity of 80-90% until the time of measuring the parameters. In this study, physiological and biochemical characteristics such as weight loss, acidity, titratable acids, soluble solids, ripening index, vitamin C and malondialdehyde were investigated.
Results and Discussion
The results of the research showed that the treatments used affected the investigated characteristics of apple fruit. The treated fruits had less weight loss than the control treatment. Examining the biochemical characteristics also showed the positive effect of all the treatments on the desired parameters, so that the most titratable acids, vitamin C and the least amount of acidity and malondialdehyde were obtained in the combined treatments of nano chitosan and calcium chloride. Also, the treatments used reduced the soluble solids and fruit ripening index. Coatings such as chitosan create a barrier with selective permeability against oxygen and carbon dioxide gases and create an altered atmosphere by placing carbon dioxide at a higher level and reducing oxygen around the fruit, which process increases respiration rate and ethylene production. reduce the aging process.
Conclusion
Based on the general results, it can be stated that the application of 100 mg/lit chitosan nanoparticle treatments in the pre-harvest stage along with the immersion of the fruits in the post-harvest stage in a 2% calcium chloride solution, in most features It showed better results than other treatment levels.
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