Postharvest application of calcium chloride and 1-methylcyclopropene for quality conservation on organic ripe fig

Abstract

The postharvest phase is an important step in the fruit production chain. Fig is an especially perishable fruit, which has encouraged researchers to study the effects of various substances on the postharvest life of this commodity. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the postharvest quality of the ‘Roxo-de-Valinhos’ fig cultivar. This study aimed to verify the effects of applying a 4% solution of CaCl2 and a 1% solution of 1-MCP to figs and evaluating at four different storage times (0, 2, 4, and 6 days). The results showed that a 4% solution of CaCl2 promoted better firmness, and when CaCl2 at 4% was applied in combination with 1-MCP at 10 μg l-1, the maturation index increased. In contrast, the 1-MCP treatment alone did not improve the postharvest quality of ‘Roxo-de-Valinhos’ ripe fig. We conclude that application of 4% solution of CaCl2 and 1-MPC at 10 µg l-¹ promote firmness and increase maturation index of 'Roxo-de-Valinos' figs.

Keywords

• Brown Turkey fig
• Ficus carica
• fruit conservation
• shelf life