Assessing the Effectiveness of Natural Coating Application in Prolonging Shelf-Life in Plumcot Fruits

This study was carried out to assess the morphological characteristics, fruit quality, and antioxidant levels in sucrose ester-coated 'Harmony' plumcots (Prunus salicina Lindl. x P. armeniaca L.). Fruit samples in the control group were left untreated, with two further groups undergoing coating either after 0 days of cold storage (0 d CS) or after 7 days of cold storage (7 d CS) to evaluate changes in post-harvest quality at three-day intervals throughout 12 days of room temperature storage (12 DAS). Coating treatment significantly reduced fruit respiration during storage time in the 0 d CS samples, with this being attributed to the clogging of pores in peel stomata and lenticel, as observed on the fruits under scanning electron microscopy; however, the same effect was not observed in the 7 d CS samples from fruits with a high initial CO2 concentration. The coating delayed fruit softening and discoloration during storage in the 0 d CS samples, extending the shelf-life of the fruits for approximately 9 days. However, the coating treatment was found to reduce total flavonoid and anthocyanin content at 6 DAS and 12 DAS in both groups.