Abstract

Various pre-cooling treatments were applied to freshly harvested peach (Prunus avium L.) fruits cv. ‘Shan-i-Punjab’ for prolonging the freshness and quality. Peaches treated with hydro-cooling and forced air cooling treatments were stored at 0ºC and 95% RH for 35 days and were observed for physiological loss in weight (%), firmness, palatability rating, rotting percentage, total soluble solids (TSS) and acidity after 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days to determine the shelf life of peaches. Results indicated that hydro-cooling combined with calcium chloride @ 2% and chlorine solution (100 ppm) delayed the deterioration and senescence of peach fruit, maintaining a higher quality, as indicated by organoleptic score. In particular, these fruits showed considerably less spoilage and surface shrivelling. Other quality attributes, such as acidity and soluble solids content were also significantly affected with the pre-cooling treatments. Overall, the present study showed that peach fruits subjected to hydro-cooling with calcium chloride @ 2% and chlorine solution (100 ppm) followed by cold storage at 0°C and 95% R. H. retained excellent quality for 28 days as compared to other pre-cooling treatments. Furthermore, the storage of peaches without pre-cooling resulted in a significant decrease in quality parameters.