TY - JOUR
T1 - Improving fruit quality, bioactive compounds, and storage life of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L., cv. Barhi) using natural elicitors
AU - Ahmed, Zienab F.R.
AU - Al Shaibani, Fatima Y.Y.
AU - Kaur, Navjot
AU - Maqsood, Sajid
AU - Schmeda-Hirschmann, Guillermo
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to UAEU for funding this project. Our gratitude is also extended to the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Integrative Agriculture Department, Horticulture lab, and Food Science lab for assisting with the sample analysis.
Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), project grant number G00003332.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - “Barhi” date fruit is highly appreciated and widely consumed at the Bisr stage (first edible stage) of maturity. However, maintaining its quality for long periods of time after harvest and throughout marketing is a substantial challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of preharvest spray treatments of 1% chitosan (Ch) in conjunction with 3% calcium chloride (Ca) and 2 mM salicylic acid (SA) on “Barhi” fruit’s shelf life, quality, and phytochemical composition at harvest and during cold storage. All treatments significantly delayed the ripening and decay of “Barhi” dates compared to controls. Ch treatment, followed by Ch + SA and Ch + SA + Ca, showed the lowest weight loss. Ch + Ca, Ch + SA + Ca, and Ch + SA treatments showed significantly lower levels of total soluble solids (TSS) compared to the control fruit. Ch + Ca and Ch + Ca + SA treatments showed no decayed fruit after 60 days of cold storage. At the end of storage time, the Ca treatment, followed by Ch + Ca + SA, showed the greatest total phenolic (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and tannin (TTC) contents. Ch + SA + Ca, Ch + SA, and Ch showed significantly higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared to controls. Based on these findings, these treatments may be recommended to prolong the shelf life of “Barhi” date fruit.
AB - “Barhi” date fruit is highly appreciated and widely consumed at the Bisr stage (first edible stage) of maturity. However, maintaining its quality for long periods of time after harvest and throughout marketing is a substantial challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of preharvest spray treatments of 1% chitosan (Ch) in conjunction with 3% calcium chloride (Ca) and 2 mM salicylic acid (SA) on “Barhi” fruit’s shelf life, quality, and phytochemical composition at harvest and during cold storage. All treatments significantly delayed the ripening and decay of “Barhi” dates compared to controls. Ch treatment, followed by Ch + SA and Ch + SA + Ca, showed the lowest weight loss. Ch + Ca, Ch + SA + Ca, and Ch + SA treatments showed significantly lower levels of total soluble solids (TSS) compared to the control fruit. Ch + Ca and Ch + Ca + SA treatments showed no decayed fruit after 60 days of cold storage. At the end of storage time, the Ca treatment, followed by Ch + Ca + SA, showed the greatest total phenolic (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), and tannin (TTC) contents. Ch + SA + Ca, Ch + SA, and Ch showed significantly higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared to controls. Based on these findings, these treatments may be recommended to prolong the shelf life of “Barhi” date fruit.
KW - Chitosan
KW - Date palm
KW - Fruit decay
KW - Preharvest
KW - Quality
KW - Storage life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85114828648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85114828648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/horticulturae7090293
DO - 10.3390/horticulturae7090293
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85114828648
SN - 2311-7524
VL - 7
JO - Horticulturae
JF - Horticulturae
IS - 9
M1 - 293
ER -