Aloe vera Gel and Sulfur Dioxide Fumigation Extend Postharvest Storage Life of Peach
Abdul Sattar Shah, Said Wahab, and Khandazi Fatima Khattak
Peach fruits cannot be stored for a desirable length of time due to chilling injury and the incidence of decay during cold storage. The effects of Aloe vera gel and sulfur dioxide fumigation on physicochemical contents, chilling injury, decay index, and sensory quality of peach fruits during cold storage were investigated. Fruits were harvested at physiological maturity and stored at 0 °C ± 1 °C and 90% ± 5% RH for 30 d. The results showed that the combination of Aloe vera gel and sulfur dioxide fumigation significantly affected moisture, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, acidity, sugar-acid ratio, reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, vitamin C, firmness, chilling injury, decay index and sensory attributes of peach fruits. The untreated fruits showed high incidence of chilling injury. Generally, the results indicated that the combination of Aloe vera gel and sulfur dioxide fumigation have the potential for maintaining the quality of peach fruits and for extending their shelf life during cold storage.