Effect of Different Edible Coatings on Quality and Shelf Life of Pears Under Supermarket and Ordinary Market Conditions

Pear fruits of the cultivar 'Patharnakh' were harvested at the physiological mature stage. The fruits were coated with different food grade coatings, such as citrashine, carnauba, terpenoidal oligomer, and Stay-fresh. After coating, the fruits were packed in corrugated fiber-board cartons and stored under two different conditions, i.e., under supermarket conditions (20-22 degrees C and 80-85% RH) and under ordinary market conditions (30-32 degrees C and 60-65% RH). The fruits were evaluated for various quality attributes periodically. The data revealed that citrashine or terpenoidal oligomer coatings proved quite effective in prolonging the shelf life and maintaining the quality of pear fruits under both of the marketing conditions.