Effects of salicylic acid and putrescine on storability, quality attributes and antioxidant activity of plum cv. ‘Santa Rosa’

Abstract

Plum fruit has a short shelf life with a rapid deterioration in quality after harvest. The primary goal of this study is to investigate and compare the effect of putrescine and salicylic acid on quality properties and antioxidant activity of plum during storage. The plum fruits (cv. 'Santa Rosa') were harvested at the mature ripe stage, and dipped in different concentrations of putrescine (1, 2, 3 and 4 mmol/L) and salicylic acid (1, 2, 3 and 4 mmol/L), as well as distilled water (control) for 5 min. The fruits were then packed in boxes with polyethylene covers and stored at 4°C with 95 % relative humidity for 25 days. A factorial trial based on completely randomized block design with 4 replications was carried out. The weight loss, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, maturity index, ascorbic acid, total phenolics and antioxidant activity at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 days after harvest were recorded. During the storage period, the weight loss, total soluble solids, pH and maturity index increased significantly while the fruit firmness, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolics and antioxidant activity decreased significantly (P <0.05) for all treatments. Statistically significant differences were observed between different treatments (putrescine, salicylic acid and control) in all measured parameters. The data showed that the weight loss and softening of the plum fruits were decreased significantly by the use of putrescine and salicylic acid. Also, exogenous treatments of putrescine and salicylic acid are found to be effective in maintaining titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolics and antioxidant activity in plum fruits during storage at 4°C. It was concluded that postharvest treatment of plum fruit with putrescine and salicylic acid were effective on delaying the ripening processes and can be used commercially to extend the shelf life of plum fruit with acceptable fruit quality.

Interactive effects of abscisic acid and nitric oxide on chilling resistance and active oxygen metabolism in peach fruit during cold storage

“…reported that the increase in SSC during fruit ripening was attributed to the increased activity of enzymes responsible for the hydrolysis of starch to soluble sugars. Similar results have been found in other fruits such as mango and plum . In this study, NO or ABA could lead to differential increases in SSC contents compared with the control.…”

Enzymatic changes in plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) subjected to some chemical treatments and cold storage.

“…Titratable acidity and SSC contents are the prime contributors in determining the flavouring attributes of fruits (Raffo et al 2007). Effectiveness of salicylic acid in maintaining titratable acidity of plum fruits is supported by the earlier findings of Han and Li (1997); Srivastava and Dwivedi (2000) and Davarynejad et al 2015. The above authors showed that SA maintained higher acid content at the end of storage in apple and strawberry, respectively.…”

Preharvest treatments with salicylates enhance nutrient and antioxidant compounds in plum at harvest and after storage

“…The observed effect of salicylates on delaying changes on quality parameters related to plum postharvest ripening could be attributed to their effect on delaying and decreasing ethylene production, given the climacteric behaviour of this plum cultivar , , . Similarly, it has been recently reported that postharvest SA treatment maintained quality parameters during storage in other plum cultivars, such as ‘Santa Rosa’, and ‘Satluj’ throughout a reduction in ethylene production. However, the present results show that preharvest treatment with salicylates not only maintained quality attributes during storage but was also effective in increasing them at harvest time.…”

“…A similar trend was observed for ascorbic acid, whereas concentrations of citric and fumaric acids increased from day 0 to day 40 of storage and no changes occurred in succinic acid concentration. The decrease in ascorbic acid during storage could be due to the conversion of dehydroascorbic to diketogulonic acid by oxidation due to ascorbate oxidase . However, it is important to note the effect of preharvest salicylate treatments in maintaining plum ascorbic acid levels during postharvest storage, due to its role as antioxidant with health beneficial effects in human beings .…”