Chapters authored
Effects of Size, Storage Duration, and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Some Pomological Characteristics of Wonderful Pomegranate Cultivar
Pomegranate fruit is very susceptible to storage conditions, and it losses weight and quality during long storage periods. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), storage duration, and fruit size on some quality attributes of Wonderful pomegranate cultivar. Results indicated that there is a clear relationship between the fruit weight and number of arils (R2, 0.948) as expected. On the other hand, a significant relationship also exists between the number of arils and aril weight (R2, 0.973). According to the results, it is also possible to estimate the juice content of pomegranate fruits by its aril weight (R2, 0.994) and also from the fruit weight. Results also showed that modified atmosphere packaging has a clear effect on the protection of fruit weight. The loss in the fruit weight after 90 days of storage is found to be between 6.70 and 14.28% without MAP and between 2.64 and 6.24% with MAP. Similar results have been determined for aril weight and juice content. The other important result of the present study is that fruit size significantly affects the weight loss. The bigger fruits showed higher weight loss. No significant effect has been determined on the total soluble solids content of fruits for neither different sizes nor different storage conditions.
Part of the book: Postharvest Handling