Efficacy of Nitric Oxide and Film Wrapping on Quality Maintenance and Alleviation of Chilling Injury on Pomegranate Fruit

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the individual application of nitric oxide or cellophane wrapping, and combination effects of these treatments on reducing chilling injury and quality improvement of pomegranate fruit cv. ‘Shishe-Kab’ during storage. Fruits were dipped in nitric oxide (0 or 300 μM) solution for 2 minutes, followed by cellophane wraps (wrapped or unwrapped) as treatments and then stored at two different storage temperatures (1 or 5°C) for 90 days. Application of 300 μM nitric oxide significantly increased the antioxidant activity, total anthocyanin content, and the a* value of aril color, and also led to the lowest chilling injury and electrolyte leakage in fruit compared with the control. The lowest weight loss, chilling injury, and total soluble solids and the highest total anthocyanin content and the a* value of aril color was observed in cellophane wrapped fruits, compared with unwrapped fruits. The combination of nitric oxide and cellophane wrapping had a greater effect on reducing the electrolyte leakage of fruits as it decreased about 72 and 63% compared to the control in stored fruit for 45 and 90 days, respectively.