Effect of Surface Coatings on the Shelf Life and Quality of Kinnow Fruits During Storage

Surface coatings Kinnow Quality Shelflife Abstract The Kinnow mandarin ( Citrus nobilis x Citrus deliciosa) fruits of uniform size, disease and bruise free were picked randomly from all the four directions of the plants with the help of secateur. The fruits were sorted and washed with chlorine solution (100 ppm). Thereafter, the fruit s were coated with ‘Nipro Fresh SS 40T and SS 50’ formulations. The fruits we re air dried and packed in corrugated fibre board boxes (10 Kg capacity). The coated and control (uncoated) fruits were stored under cold storage co nditi ns (5-7°C and 80-85% RH) and under ambient conditions (11-19°C and 80-85 % RH). The various physico-chemical attributes of fruits were recorded in 30, 45 and 60 days in cold stored fruits and at 5, 10 and 15 days in frui ts stored at ambient conditions. The results of the study indicated tha t Kinnow fruits coated with ‘Nipro Fresh SS 40T or SS 50’ showed significant de lay in the change of weight loss, firmness, TSS, titratable acidity and vitamin-C content of Kinnow fruits. The present study envisaged that Kinnow fru it wax coated with these formulations can be successfully stored for 45 days under cold storage conditions (5-7C and 90-95% RH) and for 10 days under ambient cond iti s (11-19C and 65-70% RH) with highly acceptable sensory qua lity. The uncoated fruits, on the other hand, maintained post harvest shelf life of 30 days in cold storage and 5 days at ambient conditions.