Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya

Pitaya is a high-value tropical fruit with a postharvest life constrained by rapid physiological deterioration. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of chitosan-based (CH) biopolymeric coatings, enriched with ascorbic acid (AA), on the postharvest quality and preservation of pitaya fruits stored under refrigeration (12 °C). The fruits were subjected to different treatments and evaluated for biometric and physicochemical parameters, including weight loss, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, and the SS/TA ratio throughout storage. The results demonstrated that the coatings significantly reduced weight loss (e.g., 4.15% for the CH4AA treatment) and contributed to the maintenance of quality attributes, delaying senescence-associated processes. Among the treatments, the combination of chitosan with ascorbic acid was the most effective in preserving fruit quality, extending the marketable shelf life from 10 to 20 days. These findings indicate that the use of biopolymeric coatings is a promising strategy to prolong the shelf life and maintain the postharvest quality of pitaya, with potential applications in commercial supply chains.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Horticulturae
Published
2026-04-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040474
Primary Topic
Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya

Ivanice da Silva Santos, Raíres Irlenizia da Silva Freire, Adriano do Nascimento Simões, Wedson Aleff Oliveira da Silva et al.
Horticulturae
Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging
article

Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya

Ivanice da Silva Santos, Raíres Irlenizia da Silva Freire, Adriano do Nascimento Simões, Wedson Aleff Oliveira da Silva, Valécia Nogueira Santos e Silva, Anderson Rodrigo Luciano da Silva, Patrícia Lígia Dantas de Morais, Fred Augusto Lourêdo de Brito, NAAMA JESSICA DE ASSIS MELO, Sarah Alencar de Sá, João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro, Fabiana Barbosa do Nascimento, Alex Lázaro de Sousa Nogueira, Vander Mendonça, Jéssica Crhistie de Castro Granjeiro Oliveira, David Geidson Moreira Ramos
article en

Abstract

Pitaya is a high-value tropical fruit with a postharvest life constrained by rapid physiological deterioration. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of chitosan-based (CH) biopolymeric coatings, enriched with ascorbic acid (AA), on the postharvest quality and preservation of pitaya fruits stored under refrigeration (12 °C). The fruits were subjected to different treatments and evaluated for biometric and physicochemical parameters, including weight loss, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, and the SS/TA ratio throughout storage. The results demonstrated that the coatings significantly reduced weight loss (e.g., 4.15% for the CH4AA treatment) and contributed to the maintenance of quality attributes, delaying senescence-associated processes. Among the treatments, the combination of chitosan with ascorbic acid was the most effective in preserving fruit quality, extending the marketable shelf life from 10 to 20 days. These findings indicate that the use of biopolymeric coatings is a promising strategy to prolong the shelf life and maintain the postharvest quality of pitaya, with potential applications in commercial supply chains.

HorticulturaeVol. 12(4)
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (BR), Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (BR)
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco, Universidade de Pernambuco, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.