Extending the Storability and Quality Conservation of Orange Fruits via Natural Coating of Aloe Vera and Yeast

The most common problems related to the storage life of orange fruit are weight loss, deterioration and chilling injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the application of Aloe vera and yeast as edible coating on the quality and extension of the storage life of the orange fruits cultivar ’Diyala’. Fruit were coated with Aloe vera gel (10 and 20%) and yeast (5 and 10 g l^-1), subjected to interaction treatments or the control, and then stored at 6 ± 1°C and 90% relative humidity (RH) for up to 60 days. The results revealed that the utilization of 20% Aloe vera and 10 g l⁻¹ yeast had a significant effect on various parameters, including weight loss (5.16%), respiration rate (7.41 mg CO₂ kg^-1 h^-1), maturity index (7.55) and total carotenoids (0.133µg mL^-1) , while maintaining peel thickness (4.76 mm), firmness (6.75 kg), moisture content (82.64%), total phenol (39.69 mg 100 mL^-1 juice), and vitamin C content (49.45 mg 100 mL^-1 juice) were significantly affected. Furthermore, the application of 10% Aloe vera with 10 g l⁻¹ yeast resulted in the highest efficacy in preserving the titratable acidity (1.31%). Consequently, 20% Aloe vera and 10 g l^-1 yeast as edible coating could be used commercially to preserve orange fruits for 60 days and maintain overall fruit quality.