Effect of Chitosan Coating on Increasing Postharvest Life and Maintaining Apple fruit Quality Cv " Soltani"

The advantage of coating agents is reducing transpiration and respiration, leading to maintaining the quality and extending the shelf life of the fruits. Chitosan, the most important coating agent, is used during the post-harvest process. In this research the effect of chitosan with different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2%) on the shelf-life of apple cv “Soltani” was studied. The study was conducted as a split plot in time within a complete randomized design in 3 replications and 4 tratments. After storage at 1°C and 90% RH, fruits were evaluated every 30 days in terms of some traits such as firmness, weight loss, soluble solids and titratable acid and vitamin C, total phenol, antioxidant capacity and pH. Results showed that the fruits treated with chitosan had significantly higher firmness, titratable acid (TA), soluble solids (TSS), vitamin C, total phenol, antioxidant capacity and lower weight loss and pH, compared to the control. There was no significant difference between 1 and 2% chitosan coating concentrations for most of the examined traits, though evidence indicated that the 2% chitosan may act better than the 1% for shelf life extension and quality maintaining.