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Abstract
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The main goal ofthisresearch was studying theeffect of pre- and post harvestcalcium chloride(CaCl2) and chitosan treatments on quality and storage life of Indian Jujube fruits (ZizyphusmauritianaL. cv. Umran).This investigation was carried out in 2013 in a factorial randomized complete block design with 9 treatments under both orchard and the laboratory conditions. The testconsisted of twoparts: 1. Spraying two concentrations (1% and 3%) of CaCl2 and two concentrations of chitosan (0.2% and 0.5%) 17 days before harvest,2.Immersing fruitsin a solution ofcalcium chlorideat concentrations of1% and3%, and chitosanat concentrations of0.5% 0.2% after harvestingandcontrol treatments. Fruits werestoredfor 28 daysat 25 and4 ° C. Characteristics including weight loss, percentdecay, flesh firmness, wrinkles, pH, vitamin C, titrableacidity and total soluble solids were measuredweekly untilthe end of storage period. Results revealed thatstoragetemperaturehad significant effect onquantitative and qualitative characteristicsandstorage lifeoffruits, in the way that the best temperature for storage and maintaining of fruit quality was 4?C.Using postharvest treatments on fruits stored at 25 ° C showed better results comparing to pre-harvest treatments and applying pre-harvesttreatments on fruits storedat4 ° Cfollowed bythebest results. At 25 °C, application ofpostharvestchitosantreatmentsof 0.5% was statisticallysuperiorin majority ofqualitative and quantitativetraitsstudied.At 4 °C, pre-harvestapplication of chitosan0.5%, followed by the lowest percentageof weight loss, percentageof wrinkling, decay and titrableacidity after fourweeks, and higher TSS after threeweeks.Pre-harvestapplication ofcalcium chloride(1%), delayedtheincrease inpH.
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