Assessment of Quality and Biochemical Changes in Indian Jujube Fruits (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.): Effect of Chitosan Coating and Putrescine Treatments

Indian jujubes (Indian jujube) are perishable fruits with a short storage life after harvest. In this study, the role of 1% chitosan (CHS), 1 mM putrescine (PUT), and 1% CHS combined with 1 mM PUT (CHS+PUT) treatment on maintaining the quality of Indian jujube fruits during storage at 5°C and 90% RH for 30 days were investigated. Physicochemical characteristics and cell wall degrading enzymes were measured at 10-day intervals. The results indicated that the efficiency of the CHS+PUT was better than CHS or PUT individual treatment. CHS+PUT treatment substantially decreased weight loss, decay incidence, and malondialdehyde content of Indian jujube fruits. Loss of bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid and phenols), total antioxidant activity, and titratable acidity were minimized in response to CHS+PUT treatment. In addition, CHS+PUT treatment delayed fruit softening by suppressing the activity of polygalacturonase and pectin methylesterase enzymes. The soluble solids content significantly increased with the progression of storage time but, the application of CHS and PUT individually or in combination inhibited this increase. These results clearly confirm that the 1% CHS and 1 mM PUT treatment is an effective means to improve the postharvest quality and storage life of Indian jujube fruits.