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BACKGROUND‘Patharnakh’ pear, a dominant cultivar in the Punjab province of India, has a shorter storage life as it matures during the hot and humid weather. Studies have reported that postharvest chemical treatments have a major role in improving the storage life of the fruit. In this study, the efficacy of different concentrations (1, 2, and 3 mmol L−1) of salicylic acid (SA), a well‐known signaling molecule, was explored to overcome browning and maintain the postharvest quality of the Patharnakh pear during cold storage.RESULTSSA treated pears were better than the untreated fruits in all of the studied parameters. SA application alleviated the rate of weight loss and respiration, and lowered the decay percentage. The efficacy of SA in the reduction of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, which correlates negatively with the total phenolic content, was quite noticeable. The SA treated fruits exhibited a slower oxidation of the total phenol content by inhibiting the action of PPO and retaining the total phenolic content, leading to lower incidence of browning. SA effectively maintained the ascorbic acid content and superoxide dismutase activity. Total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, and pH of the pears were highest with the SA treatment.CONCLUSIONThe 2 mmol L−1 SA treatment exhibited the best result of reducing fruit decay and tissue browning, and maintaining the postharvest quality parameters of pear up to 60 days of cold storage. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

The production of vegetables and fruits is at a high rate but the major challenging task is the postharvest handling and processing of the products. Approximately 20–30% of the production is being wasted due to a lack of proper postharvest management. Many developments were made to reduce this wastage such as cold chain development, different storage structures, some drying methodologies to promote the shelf life of produce. But all these systems need to be improved and utilized commercially. The losses still occur due to a lack of sound knowledge on the chemical nature of products and different management techniques (e.g., drying, cooling, blanching). Therefore, the successful design of the cooling, packing, storage transport, and drying processes of fresh food requires linking materials sciences, fluid dynamics, mechanical deformation, food chemistry, and process control.

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is an important fruit crop of economic importance which can be cultivated on marginal lands on a commercial scale, especially in India, where it is indiginious (Arndt et al., 2001). Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae) comprises about 170 species of spiny shrubs and small trees distributed in the warm-temperate and subtropical regions throughout the World (Islam and Simmons, 2006). Ber is a deciduous tree and flowering starts from August to October, its fruit mature from January to March in India (Shukla et al., 2004). Flowering period lasted for about one month long (Mishra et al., 2004). Flowers of Ziziphus are hypanthium (a cup or tube bearing the floral parts above the base of the ovary of the flower) type and inflorescences are cyme or small panicle (Tel-Zur, 2009). The flowers are small and inconspicuous; their most noticeable part is a pale yellow

In today’s competitive world, packaging and edible coating play a significant part in producing usefulness user affable products for marketing. Due to several drawbacks of conventional packaging materials (wooden boxes, gunny bags, pallet, pallet bins, Wire-Bound Crates etc.) new technologies of polymeric films (LDPE, HDPE, Shrink film, Cling film) are adopted. By use of polymeric film (non perforated) modified atmosphere is obtain within the package, which subsequently helps to enhance shelf life of fruits. Application of thin layers of edible coating onto fruit surface helps to modify inner environment of fruit which causes similar effect to the modified atmospheric storage. This technological strategies are helpful to retard water loss, reduces skin damage caused by friction, changes in gaseous composition, moisture content, volatile aromas, and transport of solutes from the fruits overly enhance cosmetic appearance, decreasing ripening process and rise shelf life of fruits.

during 2015-16 with fourteen cultivars of ber to understand and provide a wealth of usable information of ber breeding programme. All the varieties showed wide variation of fruit set (3.9-31.4%), fruit drop (63.085.5%) and retention (14.5-36.9%). Higher percentage of fruit set was noted in Sanur-2 (31.4%), BAU-1 Kul (26.5%), Umran (26.1%), Banarasi Karaka (24.8%). A large percentage of fruit dropped before reaching the maturity stage. However, the heaviest drop was recorded in the variety Banarasi Karaka and minimum in Umran. In all the cultivars the fruit drop was maximum up to 30 days after fruit set, declining later on. In Sanur-2 the fruit set percentage was highest but fruit retention was not up to the mark. Fruit maturity among 14 varieties was 111 to 149 days with a longer period of harvesting (21-37 days) and wide range of yield (15.96 to 46.36 kg/tree). BAU-1 Kul, Gola and Jogia were harvested earlier and Apple Kul, Banarasi Karaka Madhabpur, Mundia, Umran were harvested late. Duration of harvesting was longest in Illaichi. Umran and Topa were higher in fruit yield (46.36 kg and 43.77 kg/plant, respectively).

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