Effect of heat conditioning on chilling injury susceptibility of Persian lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka)

Abstract

Cold storage is one of the most important technologies used to maintain the postharvest quality of many horticultural commodities. However, cold storage is restricted for Persian lime because of its susceptibility to chilling injury. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of high temperature conditioning on the susceptibility to chilling injury in Persian lime (Citrus latifolia Tanaka). It was harvested in Martínez de la Torre, Veracruz, Mexico, and stored at different refrigeration temperatures. After harvesting, fruits received the following treatments: (1) hot water conditioning (53 °C during 3 min); (2) hot air conditioning (38 °C, 90-95 % relative humidity for 3 d), and (3) no treatment (control). Following treatments, fruits were stored at three different temperatures: 4, 8 or 13 ± 1 °C. Chilling injury, weight loss, color, juice percentage, tritatable acidity, pH and total soluble solids were evaluated after 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days. Results showed that both conditioning treatments induced more susceptibility to chilling injury.