Effect of Postharvest Aloe Vera and Salicylic Acid Treatments on the Shelf Life Quality of Strawberries
Abstract
The effects of post-harvest salicylic acid (SA) and Aloe vera (AV) applications on quality changes in the fruits of cvs. 'Portala' and ‘Monterey' strawberry that are kept on the shelf after storage for a certain period of time were examined in the present study. The trials were conducted in 2021 and 2022. Fruits were kept in cold storage for 21 days at 1±1 °C and 90±5% relative humidity. In addition to the harvest period, the fruits taken from the cold storage on days 7, 14 and 21 were kept under room conditions (21±1 °C and 60±5% relative humidity) for three days. Physical and chemical measurements were made in the fruits in the 0+3, 7+3, 14+3 and 21+3 shelf-life periods. Fruit rotting rate, flesh hardness, total acid content, amount of soluble solids content, total phenolic content, total monomeric anthocyanin content, total antioxidant activity and fruit exterior color parameters (L*, a*, b*) were examined. AV66 treatment was more effective in both varieties for rotting rate. While no effect of the treatments was observed for flesh hardness in the cv. 'Monterey', the SA+AV33 treatment preserved the hardness better in the cv. 'Portala'. In terms of total acid content, AV33 treatment produced the highest values in cv. 'Monterey' while SA+AV33 and control treatments resulted in the highest values in cv. 'Portala'. The soluble solids content level remained at the lowest value in SA and SA+AV66 treatments in the cv. 'Portala' but they increased in the control treatment. In the cv. 'Monterey', on the other hand, the AV66 treatment led to an increase in the soluble solids content. The total phenolic content of the fruits was not affected by the treatments. In terms of total monomeric anthocyanin contents, the highest values were measured in the control treatment in the cv. 'Portala', while in the cv. 'Monterey' the highest level was measured in the SA+AV33 treatment. The total antioxidant activities of the fruits in the cv. 'Portala' were affected by the treatments in the 0+3 period. In this period, the SA treatment reduced total antioxidant activity compared to control, while AV33 treatment increased it. In the cv. 'Monterey', the AV66 treatment produced the highest total antioxidant activity during the first shelf life period, while it had the lowest total antioxidant activity in the last period of its shelf life. The highest total antioxidant activity was observed in the control treatment.
Keywords
Anthocyanin Antioxidant Color Firmness Storage