Pre-storage application of ascorbic acid and salicylic acid to preserve quality of peach fruits during cold storage

Abstract

‎‎Peach fruit has a very short postharvest life due to its high perishability which makes it more crucial to preserve the quality of  fruits during transportation and storage. The current study was designed to examine the storage behavior of peach cultivar 8-A treated with salicylic acid (SA) and ascorbic acid (AA) at Horticulture Laboratory, The University of Haripur, Pakistan in  September-November 2020. Freshly harvested peach fruits were treated with four different levels of SA and AA (T0 = Control,  T1 = SA 10 mM, T2 = AA 5 mM, T3 = SA + AA (10 Mm + 5 mM) and T4 = SA + AA (20 mM + 10 mM)). Treated fruits were then kept at cold storage (2-4 ˚C and 60% RH) for 20 days. Various attributes including fruit weight loss, fruit decay, fruit firmness, pH of juice, total soluble solid and sugar contents (TS: Total sugar, RS: Reducing sugar, NS: Non-reducing sugar)  along with total phenolic contents, total antioxidant, enzymatic activities (CAT, POX, SOD) and phytochemical screeningwere measured during the study. Data on the above-mentioned parameters were recorded regularly after five days intervals.