Use of novel postharvest Aloe vera gel coating for suppression of ripening changes in Asian pears during long‐term cold storage

Abstract

SummaryThe impact of Aloe vera gel (AVG) coatings (0%, 25%, 50% and 75%) was evaluated on the ripening‐related quality parameters in ‘Patharnakh’ pear fruit during long‐term cold storage (0 ± 1 °C and 90–95% RH). Results showed that AVG coating extended the storage life of fruit by minimising mass loss, decay index, respiration rate, polyphenol oxidase activity, softening enzyme activities like pectin methylesterase (PME) polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulase and maintaining the preliminary sensory quality (SQ), firmness, soluble solid content (SSC), total phenols, titratable acidity (TA) over the control. Among all AVG treatments, 75% AVG treatment was found most promising for suppressing mass long, lowering respiration rate and preserved overall fruit quality up to 60 days of cold storage in ‘Patharnakh’ pear fruit. Hence, AVG proved as an alternative to non‐edible coatings for extending the pear's marketable span and cutting down the adverse effects of health and environmental hazards.