Impact of the Pre-Postharvest Treatments on Quality and Storability of Fruits the Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) during cold storage

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of pre-harvest treatments on the quality and shelf life of mandarin fruits (Citrus reticulata) during refrigerated storage. The fruits were spraying on trees before 10 days of harvesting with calcium chloride 0.5%, mancozeb 0.2%, and a mixture (calcium chloride 0.5% + mancozeb 0.2%).At the  time of harvest, the fruits were collected, packed in net bags, and stored at 4±1  and 85% humidity. The experiment was designed and analysed statistically using a complete random design (CRD). For each treatment, three replications were taken, and the measurement was repeated every 14 days. The results showed that the treatment with calcium chloride alone or in a mixture with mancozeb had a significant impact on preserving the quality characteristics in addition to extending the shelf life of fruits, and their tissues were coherent and their external appearance was of high quality until the last period of storage compared to the untreated fruits. The results also indicated that treating mandarin fruits with calcium chloride 0.5% alone lead to a decrease in weight loss percentage and the preservation of juice percentage, vitamin C content, and titrable acidity (TA) compared with the control treatment.