Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coatings alone and in combination with gamma irradiation were tested for maintaining the storage quality and extending shelf life of pear. Matured green pears were CMC coated at levels 0.25% to 1.0% w/v and gamma irradiated at 1.5 kGy. The treated fruit including control was stored under ambient (temperature 25 ± 2 °C, RH 70%) and refrigerated (temperature 3 ± 1 °C, RH 80%) conditions. Irradiation alone at 1.5 kGy gave 8 and 4 d extension in shelf life of pear following 45 and 60 d of refrigeration, respectively. CMC coating at 1.0% w/v was effective in giving 6 and 2 d extension in shelf life of pear following 45 and 60 d of refrigeration, respectively. All combinatory treatments delayed the decaying of pear during postrefrigerated storage, but combination of 1.0% w/v CMC and 1.5 kGy irradiation proved significantly (P≤0.05) effective in maintaining the storage quality and delaying the decaying of pear. The above combinatory treatment gave an extension of 12 and 6 d in shelf life of pear during postrefrigerated storage at 25 ± 2 °C, RH 70% following 45 and 60 d of refrigeration.
Freshly harvested Red delicious apples were dipped in calcium chloride solution of varying concentrations (0.5-2.0% w/v) for 1 h prior to irradiation at dose level of 0.4 kGy. Fruits after radiation treatment were stored at 2 ± 1°C, RH 90% and evaluated at intervals of 30 days for various quality parameters. Results revealed significant (p ≤ 0.05) retention in firmness, juice yield and ascorbic acid content in samples treated with combination of calcium chloride at 2.0% w/v and gamma irradiation (0.4 kGy) during storage. Water soluble pectin was inversely correlated with firmness (r = 0.88) and was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lower in samples subjected to combination treatment of 2.0% w/v CaCl2 and 0.4 kGy irradiation throughout the storage. The combination treatment of 2.0% CaCl2 and 0.4 kGy irradiation gave about 4.3 log reduction in yeast and mold count of apple samples. Results of the post refrigeration weight loss, firmness and overall acceptability revealed that combination treatment was helpful in extending the shelf-life of Red Delicious apples by around 20-25 days at 17 ± 2°C, RH 75% following 90 days of refrigeration.
Summary
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of edible coating and gamma irradiation treatment on mould growth and storage quality of strawberry. Strawberry fruit after harvest were treated with 0.5–1.0% (w/v) carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coating followed by irradiation at 2.0 kGy and subsequent storage under refrigerated conditions for 21 days. The investigations revealed that CMC coating alone at levels 0.5% and 0.75% w/v was not effective in delaying the decay and inhibiting the appearance of mould growth in strawberry fruit. Treatment of irradiation in combination with 1.0% w/v CMC coating was found significantly (P ≤ 0.05) effective compared with other treatments in maintaining the quality and delaying the decay and appearance of the mould growth in strawberry up to 18 days of refrigerated storage. Combinatory treatment of irradiation and coating can help to a greater extent in facilitating the marketing of the strawberry fruit to distant markets other than the local market, thereby benefiting growers and consumers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.