Comparative Effects of Salicylic Acid and Methyl Salicylate Postharvest Treatments at Different Concentrations On Postharvest Quality of Daisy Mandarin (Citrus Reticulata)
摘要
Maintaining the postharvest quality of citrus fruits is important for reducing storage losses and extending market availability. In the present study, the effects of postharvest treatments with salicylic acid (SA) and methyl salicylate (MeSA) on the quality and shelf life of Daisy mandarin (Citrus reticulata) were investigated under ambient storage conditions. The experiment consisted of seven treatments, including three concentrations each of SA (1, 1.5, and 2 mM) and MeSA (1, 1.5, and 2 mM), along with a water-treated control. Fruits were dipped in the respective treatment solutions containing Tween 20 (0.05%) as a surfactant and arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. The fruits were stored at 18 ± 4 °C for 40 days, and quality attributes were recorded at 10-day intervals. The treatments significantly influenced the postharvest performance of the fruits. Among them, 2 mM SA was the most effective, maintaining the highest fruit weight (106.5 g), the lowest physiological weight loss (22.0%), and the highest juice content (38.4%) after 40 days of storage. Fruits treated with 2 mM SA also retained higher ascorbic acid (24.74 mg 100 g−1) and antioxidant activity (18.58%), showed lower spoilage (44.66%), and received the highest sensory score (6.33) compared with the control. The study highlights that postharvest application of 2 mM salicylic acid effectively delayed quality deterioration and maintained the physicochemical and sensory attributes of Daisy mandarin during ambient storage, suggesting that it can serve as a simple and economical postharvest treatment to extend fruit shelf life.