Reducing weight loss and keeping fruit quality of Wonderful pomegranate via different postharvest treatments

Application of different coating treatments to enhance storability and fruit quality of pomegranate (Punica granatum L., cv. Wonderful) during prolonged storage

“…The findings show that chitosan is effective in preventing fruit degradation. The findings were consistent with those of Khedr (2018), who found that applying edible coating combined with cold storage (5 °C) on "Valencia" oranges reduced the percentage of discarded fruits when compared to uncoated fruits.…”

“…Chitosan at 2% maintained fruit firmness at 33.62 lbf by the end of cold storage at 5 • C, and chitosan at 1% represented higher firmness value (25.14 lbf) by the end of the simulated shelf life period. Khedr (2018) found similar results on postharvest chitosan treatments effects on pomegranate. The findings reveal that there are significant changes in fruit firmness between coatings; these findings are consistent with those reported by Meighani et al (2015).…”

“…On a scale of one to nine, with 1 indicating unacceptable quality, 3 indicating poor quality, 5 indicating fair quality, 7 indicating good quality, and 9 indicating excellent quality, the general appearance of fruits was observed visually using the procedure described by Khedr (2018). In addition, the instrumental colour of the peel was measured objectively using a chroma metre (Minolta CR-400, Minolta, Osaka, Japan) on three different places of the husk layer surface of the fruit according to the CIE L* a* b* standards (International Commission on Illumination) according to McGuire (1992).…”

“…Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an important fruit crop that has emerged as one of Egypt's most promising export fruits in recent years (KHEDR, 2018). "Wonderful" pomegranate is a medium to large fruit cultivar with a high yield, light aril, high juice, and exceptional palatability (HOLLAND et al, 2009).…”

“…Fruit waxing is a defensive technique for reducing post-harvest losses and extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables (BALDWIN et al, 1999). The main objectives of fruit waxing are to reduce water loss from the fruit surfaces and weight loss, Baldwin et al (1999) reported that the coating can reduce fruit weight loss by about 50%, in addition to maintaining fruit quality and improving fruit appearance (KHEDR, 2018). Waxing reduces respiration rate significantly, and waxed fruit maintains a better physical look, according to Meighani et al (2015), while extreme reductions in respiration rate have the opposite impact through anaerobic respiration.…”