THE ROLE OF ACETYLSALICYLIC ACID IN DELAYING POSTHARVEST RIPENING OF MANDARIN (Citrus reticulataBlanco) FRUITS

Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) is a citrus group name for a class of oranges with thin, loose peel.Postharvest losses and decay can be minimized by the use of appropriate pre-harvest and postharvest fungicides, good sanitation of wash water, appropriate storage temperature and relative humidity conditions.Post-harvest losses and quality deterioration of horticultural crops are mostly caused by pests, microbial infection, natural ripening processes and environmental conditions such as heat, drought and improper post-harvest handling. In general fruits and vegetables are quickly perishable, and if care is not taken in their harvesting, handling, and transport, they will soon decay and become unfit for human consumptionThis study was planned to investigate the role of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) treatment in improving post-harvest quality, shelf life, sugar and antioxidant (as carotenoid) content of mandarin fruit. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design (CRD) in two replications. Quantitative data were collected for weight loss, vitamin C(ascorbic acid), total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, total titratable acidity and reducing sugars. The result indicated that there were significance differences between control and acetylsalicylic acid treated mandarin fruit samples for all the studied parameters except for weight loss. Quantitative analysis of phytochemical properties of the fruit has shown that the overall increase in reducing sugars, vitamin C and carotenoid contents while chlorophyll, total acidity and weight loss decrease duringpost-harvest ripening of mandarin fruit. Further studies are required on the effect of storage conditions, cultivar differences and environments on fruit quality parameters