416867

"Effect of Postharvest Preservation Methods on the Storage Stability and Quality of Prickly Pear Opuntia ficus-indica"

Article

Last updated: 29 Mar 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Plant Production.

Abstract

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller) is a highly valued fruit due to its nutritional and functional properties. However, its postharvest shelf life is limited by rapid weight loss, decay, and chilling injury during storage. This study evaluated the effects of different postharvest preservation methods (room temperature storage, sodium bicarbonate treatment, wax coating, and refrigeration at 5°C), storage duration (1–4 weeks), and variety ("Cristalina" and "Roja Paulina") on fruit quality attributes. Results showed that wax coating and sodium bicarbonate treatment significantly preserved fruit length, diameter, and weight compared to room temperature storage and refrigeration. The highest fruit quality was recorded for wax-coated and sodium bicarbonate-treated fruits, particularly in the first two weeks of storage. Refrigeration maintained peel integrity but led to weight loss and pulp shrinkage over time. "Cristalina" exhibited superior storage stability compared to "Roja Paulina." The findings indicate that a combination of wax coating or sodium bicarbonate treatment with appropriate storage conditions effectively extends prickly pear shelf life while maintaining quality attributes.

DOI

10.21608/jsasj.2025.416867

Keywords

Prickly pear, postharvest preservation, sodium bicarbonate, wax coating, refrigeration, fruit quality, storage duration

Authors

First Name

Emad El-deen

Last Name

Abdel All

MiddleName

H.

Affiliation

Horticulture Department Faculty of Agriculture Sohag University Sohag Egypt

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

M.

Last Name

Hussein

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Horticulture Department Faculty of Agriculture Sohag University Sohag Egypt

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Esraa

Last Name

Hussein

MiddleName

M. E.

Affiliation

Horticulture Department Faculty of Agriculture Sohag University Sohag Egypt

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Amira

Last Name

Hassanein

MiddleName

A.

Affiliation

Horticulture Department Faculty of Agriculture Sohag University Sohag Egypt

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

10

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

54289

Issue Date

2025-06-01

Receive Date

2025-03-11

Publish Date

2025-06-01

Page Start

39

Page End

52

Print ISSN

2357-0725

Online ISSN

2735-5578

Link

https://jsasj.journals.ekb.eg/article_416867.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=416867

Order

416,867

Type

Research and Review Papers

Type Code

1,734

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Journal of Sohag Agriscience (JSAS)

Publication Link

https://jsasj.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

"Effect of Postharvest Preservation Methods on the Storage Stability and Quality of Prickly Pear Opuntia ficus-indica"

Details

Type

Article

Created At

29 Mar 2025