Effect of postharvest salicylic acid and chitosan treatments on total antioXidant activity and some quality attributes of ‘Selva’ strawberry fruit during cold storage

Effect of salicylic acid (SA) (at ۰, ۱ and ۲ mmol L-۱) and chitosan (at ۰, ۰.۵ and ۱ %) on postharvest life and quality of Selva strawberry fruit during storage at ۲.۵ °C with ۸۵-۹۵% RH for ۷ and ۱۴ days was studied. Ttotal phenolics (TP), total antioxidant activity (TAA), ascorbic acid content (AA) and fungal decay incidence (FDI) were evaluated during storage. ۱% chitosan and SA, at all concentrations, significantly decreased decay incidence and maintained fruit marketability during ۱۴ days of cold storage. ۱ mmol L-۱ SA in combination with ۱% chitosan significantly increased ascorbic acid content and total antioxidant activity during first week of cold storage. Total phenolics significantly decreased during cold storage but ۰.۵% chitosan and ۱ mmol L-۱ SA reduced the rate of decrease in phenolics.

Keywords:

Chitosan , Phenolics , Strawberry , Salicylic acid , Total antioxidant activity