Postharvest Salicylic Acid Treatment Influences Some Quality Attributes in Air-Stored Pomegranate Fruit

Popularity of pomegranate fruit has increased in recent years because of its health benefit content, economic value and medicinal characteristics. Since pomegranate fruit is perishable species, prolonging storage life, keeping fruit quality during storage and marketing period with minimum quality and quantity loss after harvest are essential. Influence of salicylic acid treatments on some quality properties in 'Hicaznar' cultivar fruit were investigated in the current study. After harvest at commercial maturity, fruit were exposed to salicylic acid (SA) treatments. Controls (C1) were untreated. The other groups were dipped into a solution containing 0.01% Tween 20 (C2), 0.01% Tween 20+2 mM SA (SA1), and 0.01% Tween 20+4 mM SA (SA2). Then fruit were stored at 5 +/- 1 degrees C temperature, 85-90% relative humidity for 120 days. Changes in fruit skin and aril color, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, weight loss and chilling injury rate total phenolic content, antioxidant activity were followed at 60 days intervals. Neither SA1 nor SA2 affected total phenolic content and antioxidant activity levels of fruit. But, both treatments helped to maintain C* values in arils and skin, titratable acidity and soluble solids content. Since SA2 treatment significantly reduced chilling injury symptoms during cold storage period of 120 days, it could be considered as promising postharvest technology.