Effect of post-harvest rosehip essential oil and calcium cloride application on storage time and fruit quality in some apple varieties

The effects of postharvest calcium chloride (CaCl2), rosehip essential oil (KEY), and combination of CaCl2 and KEY edible coating applications on storage life and quality of fruits of 'Starkrimson Delicious', 'Golden Delicious' and 'Granny Smith' apple cultivars were investigated during cold storage. For this purpose, the fruits were divided into 4 groups after harvest. The first group was immersed in distilled water (control), the second group 1.5% CaCl2, the third group 2% KEY and the fourth group CaCl2 (1.5%) + KEY (2%). The lowest weight loss (2.59%) in 'Starkrimson Delicious' was determined in CaCl2 + KEY, and in 'Golden Delicious' (0.80%) in KEY application. In 'Starkrimson Delicious' and 'Golden Delicious' cultivars, the highest flesh firmness (7.90 and 6.05 lb, respectively) was obtained from KEY application at the end of storage. In 'Granny Smith', KEY application (56.48%) preserved fruit firmness better than other applications. Titratable acidity was preserved better (8.20% and 40.21%, respectively) by CaCl2 in 'Starkrimson Delicious' and 'Granny Smith' cultivars, and by KEY application in 'Golden Delicious' (21.9%). The lowest respiration rate in 'Starkrimson Delicious' and 'Granny Smith' cultivars was recorded in KEY application (43.02 and 44.64 µLCO2/kg.s., respectively), and in Golden Delicious CaCl2 + KEY combined application (35.27 µLCO2/kg.s). KEY was best application that preserved the color and vitality of the fruit peel colour in 'Starkrimson Delicious' and 'Granny Smith' cultivars. As a result, the postharvest edible coating applications of CaCl2, KEY, and CaCl2 + KEY combination had positive contributions on the preservation of the quality characteristics of the fruits during cold storage.