Ameliorative effect of gum Arabic and essential oil coatings on postharvest preservation of Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata. Blanco).

Kinnow mandarin is a perishable fruit that suffers from various post-harvest losses during storage and transportation. To preserve the postharvest quality of fresh fruit, this study investigated the effect of gum Arabic (GA) and essential oils (EO) of lemongrass (1.0%), neem (1.0%), and rosemary (1.0%) on Kinnow fruit. The results revealed that the composite coatings of gum Arabic (10%) and essential oils effectively maintained the titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content, total flavonoid content, and total antioxidant activity. Also, the coated fruit resulted in a reduced loss in weight, decay incidence and maintained higher enzymatic activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD), and catalase in contrast to the uncoated fruit. Additionally, the scanning electron microscopic imageries of the GA + EO treated fruit revealed a smooth surface morphology whereas open stomatal pores were observed on uncoated fruit. The findings suggest that the GA 10% fortified with lemongrass oil (1.0%) could potentially be applied to maintain the quality attributes of Kinnow fruit stored at 5–7 °C for 75 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]