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Volume 12
Issue 4
10.3390/horticulturae12040474
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Article

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

by
Anderson Rodrigo Luciano da Silva
1,
Jéssica Crhistie de Castro Granjeiro Oliveira
1,
Fred Augusto Lourêdo de Brito
2,*,
Fabiana Barbosa do Nascimento
1,
Raíres Irlenízia da Silva Freire
1,
Alex Lázaro de Sousa Nogueira
1,
Wedson Aleff Oliveira da Silva
1,
Sarah Alencar de Sá
1,
David Geidson Moreira Ramos
1,
Naama Jéssica de Assis Melo
3,
Patrícia Ligia Dantas de Morais
2,
Vander Mendonça
2,
Ivanice da Silva Santos
1,
Valécia Nogueira Santos e Silva
4,
João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro
1 and
Adriano do Nascimento Simões
4
1
Postgraduate Program in Phytotechnics, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
2
Department of Agronomic and Forest Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
3
Department of Agricultural Sciences (CCA), Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
4
Academic Unit of Serra Talhada (UAST), Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada 56909-535, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2026, 12(4), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040474
Submission received: 6 March 2026 / Revised: 2 April 2026 / Accepted: 9 April 2026 / Published: 11 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology)
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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.
Keywords: Hylocereus polyrhizus; dragon fruit; postharvest deterioration; postharvest physiological metabolism Hylocereus polyrhizus; dragon fruit; postharvest deterioration; postharvest physiological metabolism

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MDPI and ACS Style

Silva, A.R.L.d.; Oliveira, J.C.d.C.G.; Brito, F.A.L.d.; Nascimento, F.B.d.; Freire, R.I.d.S.; Nogueira, A.L.d.S.; Silva, W.A.O.d.; Sá, S.A.d.; Ramos, D.G.M.; Melo, N.J.d.A.; et al. Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya. Horticulturae 2026, 12, 474. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040474

AMA Style

Silva ARLd, Oliveira JCdCG, Brito FALd, Nascimento FBd, Freire RIdS, Nogueira ALdS, Silva WAOd, Sá SAd, Ramos DGM, Melo NJdA, et al. Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya. Horticulturae. 2026; 12(4):474. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040474

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silva, Anderson Rodrigo Luciano da, Jéssica Crhistie de Castro Granjeiro Oliveira, Fred Augusto Lourêdo de Brito, Fabiana Barbosa do Nascimento, Raíres Irlenízia da Silva Freire, Alex Lázaro de Sousa Nogueira, Wedson Aleff Oliveira da Silva, Sarah Alencar de Sá, David Geidson Moreira Ramos, Naama Jéssica de Assis Melo, and et al. 2026. "Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya" Horticulturae 12, no. 4: 474. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040474

APA Style

Silva, A. R. L. d., Oliveira, J. C. d. C. G., Brito, F. A. L. d., Nascimento, F. B. d., Freire, R. I. d. S., Nogueira, A. L. d. S., Silva, W. A. O. d., Sá, S. A. d., Ramos, D. G. M., Melo, N. J. d. A., Morais, P. L. D. d., Mendonça, V., Santos, I. d. S., Silva, V. N. S. e., Ribeiro, J. E. d. S., & Simões, A. d. N. (2026). Chitosan and Ascorbic Acid Combination for Extending the Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored Pitaya. Horticulturae, 12(4), 474. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12040474

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