Effects of dipping time in chitosan (CS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mixture to quality of orange fruits during storage

Abstract

Maintaining fruit freshness and quality in extended storage life represents a major obstacle in the fruit production industry. One of the easiest ways to prolong shelf life is by dipping fruits in a suitable storage solution. In this research, we assessed the effects of the dipping time of sweet orange cultivar with the mixture containing 1.15% chitosan (CS) and 0.39% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the external and internal quality parameters of oranges during 12 days storage at 30 °C. The results showed that 6 min dipping time are optimum to maintain quality of tested oranges, including giving better skin color, higher total soluble solids (TSS), fruit firmness, ascorbic acid, and taste scores as well as lower weight loss, decay incidence, ethylene production, and respiration rate when compared with those of other dipping treatments. The results can be recommended to maintain the quality of postharvest orange fruits.