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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
All citrus fruits are waxed during postharvest, independent of their final destination for reducing the weight loss.
Any physical barrier applied on the surface can have a significant influence on the various metabolic pathways
acting on the fruit-environment system. The effect of applying a wax coating on the percentage of blocked
stomata and the diffusivity of water vapor was studied in lemon fruits cv. ‘Verna’, healthy and inoculated with
P. digitatum. In addition, the growth of P. digitatum was modelled with the Gompertz equation modified to
three parameters for non-linear regression. The analysis of the percentage of blocked stomata based on the
respiratory gas exchange in the healthy coated fruit, suggests that the obstruction is transient. The coating
application significantly reduced water vapor diffusivity as a result of the reduction in the gas permeability
of fruit peel, being this parameter affected by the mould development in the skin fruit surface. Wax coating
significantly delayed the lag phase and reduced the rate of relative growth of P. digitatum.
Description
Proceedings of the International Conference “Environmentally friendly and safe technologies for quality of fruit and vegetables”, held in Universidade do Algarve, Faro,Portugal, on January 14-16, 2009. This Conference was a join activity with COST Action 924
Keywords
Citric Decay Stomata Water diffusivity Water wax