Influence of potassium sorbate with wax coating on post harvest life of Kinnow mandarin under ambient conditions

Postharvest quality management of citrus fruits through eco-friendly methods is considered as a recent approach. Keeping this in view, the study was aimed to assess the influence of potassium sorbate with wax coating on post harvest life of Kinnow mandarin. Freshly harvested, disease-free and uniform fruits were coated with citrashine wax alone and potassium sorbate along with citrashine and thereafter, stored under ambient conditions (temperature 15–20°C and relative humidity 70–75%) for 28 days. Firmness, sensory quality, sugars, ascorbic acid and flavonoids of Kinnow fruits were retained better in both treatments under ambient conditions over the untreated fruits. Disease incidence (3.03%) and weight loss were the minimum in fruits coated with potassium sorbate along with citrashine wax due to suppression of post harvest rots caused by Penicillium spp, Colletotrichum spp and Alternaria spp during ambient storage of Kinnow mandarin over uncoated fruits. Further, spoilage exhibited negative correlation with the ascorbic acid and flavonoids content during storage. The present study may promote the use of eco-friendly potassium sorbate as food additive with wax coating to enhance storage life of Kinnow mandarin up to 21 days under ambient conditions.