Hexanal treatment for enhancing storage life of apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.)
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Date
2019
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Publisher
division of food science & post harvest IARI
Abstract
The present study was carried out to check the effectiveness of hexanal, a volatile
aldehyde in prolonging the storage life of apple cv. ‘Royal Delicious’ while
maintaining its quality. To accomplish this investigation, two objectives were
formulated. First objective dealt with the influence of different concentrations of
hexanal as a solution at concentration of 0.01%, 0.02% and 0.03% v/v for 2, 3 and 4
min or in form of vapour @ 120 µl/kg, 240 µl/kg and 360 µl/kg for 2h and 4h. Fruits
given no hexanal treatment were taken as control. The treated and control apple fruits
were stored under 1-2°C and 80-90% RH for a period of 90 days and evaluated for
physical and biochemical changes at regular interval of 15 days. To accomplish the
2
nd objective, fruits were subjected to hexanal dip treatment (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03% for
2 and 3min) one and two month post cold storage followed by shelf life studies under
ambient conditions (20-25°C, 40-56% RH) up to 21 days. Treated and control fruits
were evaluated for quality changes at 7 days interval. The current study demonstrated
that exogenous application of 0.01% hexanal applied as dip treatment for 3 min
soaking time given to freshly harvested ‘Royal Delicious’ apple fruits reduced the
physiological loss in weight, retained higher firmness, reduced decay and improved
the overall quality of the fruits up to 3 month storage under 1-2°C. Fumigation of
freshly harvested fruits with hexanal vapour@360μL/kg was also found to be an
acceptable alternative to reduce decay and maintain overall fruit quality. Regarding
the post-storage hexanal application, the study revealed that higher hexanal dose (@
0.03%) in solution was more effective to prevent decay and retain postharvest quality
when given for 3 min. Also, treatment given after one month of cold storage
maintained better overall quality of the fruits kept on the shelf under ambient
conditions (20-25°C, 40-56% RH) in comparison to hexanal exposure given after two
month cold storage. To conclude, postharvest application of hexanal both on fresh
produce and post-storage holds promise in prolonging postharvest storage life and
preserving quality of apple cv. ‘Royal Delicious’.
Keywords: Apple, Hexanal, Decay, Firmness, Storage life and Colour.
Description
T-10266
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