Abstract

An increasing demand of red onion for its valuable phytochemical constituents contributing to health benefits. Proper post-harvest management practices are required to improve the shelf life of the produce. This research was conducted during 2020 at Soc Trang Nanotech Laboratory, Soc Trang Province, Vietnam to study the synergistic effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) fumigation (200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 nL/L) and chitosan coating (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5%) on different physico-phytochemical attributes of purple onion bulbs at 90 days storage. Results revealed that treatment with 350 nL/L of 1-MCP and coated by chitosan 2.0% on purple onion bulbs could effectively control their weight loss (1.74 %), texture firmness (9.02 N), total phenolic (817.41 mg GAE/ 100 g), flavonoid (297.35 mg QE/100 g), DPPH (47.51 mM TE/100 g) and FRAP (83.26 mM TE/100 g) for long-term storage. Results of this finding not only contribute to technical aspects but also help farmers overcome difficulty in postharvest of their onion crop.