Post-harvest quality of apples treated with vegetable oils

Abstract

The coating is a technique that has been used to preserve the quality and extend the shelf life of fruit. The objective of this research was to evaluate the evolution of the mass loss and quality characteristics of apple fruit (Malus domestica Borkh.) treated with vegetable oils during cold storage. Two experiments were conducted, using apples from cvs. Maxi Gala and Fuji Suprema, and vegetable oils of neem and soybean. The main effect of vegetable oil applied in post-harvest is in reducing perspiration of the fruits with consequent reduction in mass loss. In general, the best effect occurred with the use of the highest dose tested (4%). The vegetable soybean oil is more efficient than the neem fruit in apple coating. Vegetable oils had little or no effect on characteristics such as soluble solids, titratable acidity, firmness and color, with varying responses for each experiment, indicating little change in breathing and retardation of ripening/senescence of fruits.