Interactive Effects of Yeast Coating and Packaging Types on the Postharvest Quality of Local Oranges (Citrus sinensis L.)

Abstract

Cold storage of orange fruit reduces its respiration rate and metabolic process. This helps to decreasing the postharvest loss in orange fruit. Cold storage efficiently keeps the physicochemical qualities under control such as weight, firmness, total soluble solids and acidity, when coupled with the proper postharvest treatments such as edible coatings or modified packaging. This study was carried out on local orange (Citrus sinensis L.) fruits at the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, Salahaddin University- Erbil, to investigate the influence of yeast coating treatment (10 g. L⁻¹), packaging materials (control, plastic box and foam box), besides storage Durations (7, 14 and 21) days on fruit quality. Likewise (weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, and commercial value) were among the important factors evaluated.
The findings demonstrated that storage length exerted the most pronounced effect, leading to greater weight loss and TSS, associated by a drop in marketability. Therefore, fruit quality was best preserved by plastic packaging, which was followed by foam packaging. Nevertheless, effects of coating treatments, especially those based on yeast, were inconsistent and often insignificant. While pH and marketable value were less impacted, weight loss and TSS showed significant interactions across treatments. Overall, the results reinforce the crucial role of optimizing storage duration and packaging solutions, while indicating the need for further research to optimize the efficacy of coating treatments.