Treatments to avoid chilling injury symptosm in Cantaloupe melons

Cantaloupe has typical climacteric?behavior that includes increased respiration rate?and ethylene production during storage (Kader,?2002). Ethylene production is usually associated?with a short shelf life, a soft texture, color change,?and the acceleration of maturation, ripening, and senescence processes (Baraka, 2009), but storage?at a lower temperature preserves quality and?extends the shelf life of fruits by reducing?metabolism processes (Park et al., 2020). However, cantaloupe is a tropical crop sensitive to?chilling injury if stored at low temperatures?around 2?C for a few days (Flores et al., 2004). Therefore, quick precooling in conjunction with?transportation and storage of cantaloupe fruits at?optimum temperatures around 2.2 to 5oC and 95%?relative humidity was recommended for?maximum fruit preservation and avoid chillinginjury (Suslow et al., 2000). Chilling injury symptomsChilling injury (CI) symptoms can exhibit?on sensitive crops to chilling either when being?stored at chilling temperatures or afterwards while?being marketed at non-chilling temperatures. The?main chilling injury symptoms in cantaloupe?fruits include surface discoloration, sunken areas,?pitting, brown spots, and other changes that may?be attributed to the deterioration and decay of the?surface (Krarup et al., 2009). The developing CI?symptoms result in reduced postharvest life,?increased losses in quality, and reduced consumer?acceptance of the fruit (Mao et al., 2007). Alleviation of CIChilling injury symptoms can be?alleviated by enhancing bioactive substances that?scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). One of?the most bioactive substances in preventing?oxidative damage to fruit is antioxidants, which?include antioxidant enzymes like superoxide?dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase?(CAT) and non-enzymatic ones like phenolic?compounds, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin, and?carotenoids, which inhibit ROS, decreasing lipid?peroxidation and damage to cells (Zhao-Liang et?al., 1998). Many different methods, such as hot?water, polyamines, salicylic acid, and potassium?silicate treatments, have been applied to reduce?chilling injury and increase shelf life of fruits.?Hot waterHot water (HW) is an effective technique to?decrease the development of CI symptoms. HW?treatment can induce tolerance to too much cold?by activating enzymatic antioxidants, including?SOD, POD, and CAT, and maintaining total phenolic and ascorbic acid contents, which?scavenge ROS, alleviate chilling injury, preserve?fruit quality, and extend the postharvest life?(Gabriela et al., 2021). Many studies have proven?the beneficial effect of hot water treatment in reducing CI symptoms, including tomato?(Tadesse and Abtew, 2016) and bell pepper?(Gabriela et al., 2021), reducing decay and?maintaining the quality of cantaloupe fruits?(Ukuku et al., 2004). PolyaminesPolyamines (PAs), such as putrescine?(PUT), spermine (SPE), and spermidine (SPD),?are natural substances essential in regulating the?ripening and senescence processes of fruits by?decreasing respiration rate, ethylene production, delaying senescence, retarding color change,?enhancing fruit firmness, extending the?postharvest life, and reducing CI symptoms in?many vegetables and fruits (Valero et al., 2002). Several researchers have demonstrated the?efficiency of the application of PAS in increasing?resistance to CI and reducing CI symptoms in?horticultural crops, including pomegranate?(Mirdehghan et al., 2007), mango (Bhat et al.,2014), and okra (Phornvillay et al., 2019). Salicylic acidSalicylic acid (SA) is a natural simple?phenolic compound that is crucial in regulating?stress resistance (Han et al., 2017). SA shows a lot?of potential to be very effective in reducing losses?of fruit after harvest due to its ability to inhibit?emission of ethylene, reduce microbial load and?fungal dispersion (Asghari and Aghdam, 2010),?retard chilling injury, and adjust to cold resistance?(Aghdam et al., 2014). According to studies, SA?enhances chilling tolerance in cold-stored?cucumber (Cao et al., 2009) and tomato (Aghdam?et al., 2014). SiliconSilicon (Si) is a secure and efficient source?of antioxidants and has an effect on the activity of?important enzymatic antioxidants that participate?in the defense mechanisms against stress?conditions (Crusciol et al., 2009). Moreover, Siapplications had a positive influence on?decreasing weight loss and electrolyte leakage and?preserving the firmness of fruits (Mditshwa,?2012). Several studies demonstrated that the?application of potassium silicate as a postharvesttreatment reduced CI symptoms in horticultural?crops, including cucumber (Saad, 2019) and?orange (Mshraky et al., 2016). Goal of the researchThe goal of current research was to assess?the influence of hot water, spermine, putrescine,?salicylic acid, and potassium silicate on?alleviating chilling injury symptoms and?preserving the quality of cantaloupes throughout?cold storage at 1?0.5?C for twenty days plus two?days at 15?C (shelf life). AbstractThis study was conducted on cantaloupe fruits (cv. Primal Galia type) during two consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021 to investigate the impact of postharvest treatments with hot water, spermine, putrescine, salicylic acid, and potassium silicate on decreasing chilling injury and preserving fruit quality in comparison to a control treatment during cold?storage at 1?0.5?C for twenty days in addition to two days at 15?C (shelf life). The findings showed that all postharvest treatments outperformed the control treatment in decreasing weight loss, decay, chilling injury, firmness loss, change of color, and electrolyte leakage of fruits and maintaining ascorbic acid, total phenolics, total sugars, antioxidant activity, and overall appearance of fruits. Furthermore, cantaloupe fruits dipped in spermine or salicylic acid materials were effective in not showing any chilling injury symptoms throughout cold storage periods in addition to shelf life. Putrescine and hot water treatments delayed the beginning of chilling injury symptoms and recorded a low score of symptoms at the end of cold storage duration in addition to shelf life. However, spermine and salicylic acid treatments were the most efficient in preserving overall quality attributes and giving fruits a good overall appearance without any chilling injury symptoms or decay after twenty days of storage at 1?0.5?C in addition to two days at 15?C. SourcesMitigation of Chilling Injury Symptoms and Extending the Storage Life of Cantaloupes by Some Postharvest ApplicationsMohsen EL-Sayed, Mohamed Saad and Noura Ali Gad El-RabScientific Journal of Agricultural Sciences,?Volume 5, Issue 3 September 2023 Pages 52-72https://doi.org/10.21608/sjas.2023.221749.1318Picture Minnetonka Orchards,?https://minnetonkaorchards.com/galia-cantaloupe/?