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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit
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Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2024 | Viewed by 26432

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria Concetta Strano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) - Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus crops, Corso Savoia 190, 95024 Acireale, Italy
Interests: postharvest; fresh fruit; citrus fruit; fruit quality; alternative strategies; edible coatings; cold storage; modified atmosphere

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The production and export of citrus fruit worldwide have increased in recent decades, along with fresh product demand, as a result of improved consumer awareness of their health benefits. Citrus fruit, consumed both as fresh fruit and as juice, represent an important part of our daily diet, providing us with a high content of vitamin C and other bioactive compounds, potentially health promoting.

Nonetheless, about 40% of fresh produce is lost during the postharvest phase, due to physical loss, mechanical damages, diseases, or consequently to erroneous postharvest handling practices, storage, and transport. Moreover, if we consider long-distance trading, the increased interval time from the harvest to the end users, associated to the absence of effective technologies, can have the consequence of a higher incidence of quality deterioration and safety risk of produce, leading to significant economic losses.

Recent developments in advanced non-hazardous and environmentally friendly strategies (e.g., GRAS compounds, biocontrol agents, antimicrobial plant extracts, edible coatings) and technologies (e.g., rapid cooling systems, modified atmosphere, nanotechnology, hyperspectral imaging, electronic nose, active packaging) are providing promising tools to deal with these postharvest issues, allowing to obtain a high value-added and safe product.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest scientific research findings and reviews tackling postharvest issues of citrus fruit, via advanced processing strategies and technologies which are environmentally friendly and cost-effective, and which can reduce fruit losses and extend their shelf-life.

Dr. Maria Concetta Strano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • citrus fruit
  • postharvest
  • fruit quality
  • fruit safety
  • shelf-life
  • environmentally friendly treatments
  • alternative technologies
  • cold storage
  • packaging

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 25380 KiB  
Article
Brassinosteroids Improve Postharvest Quality, Antioxidant Compounds, and Reduce Chilling Injury in ‘Arrayana’ Mandarin Fruits under Cold Storage
by Diego Alejandro Gutiérrez-Villamil, Helber Enrique Balaguera-López and Javier Giovanni Álvarez-Herrera
Horticulturae 2023, 9(6), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9060622 - 26 May 2023
Viewed by 1105
Abstract
‘Arrayana’ mandarin is one of the most cultivated citrus species in Colombia, but this fruit has a short postharvest life and is sensitive to chilling injury (CI) during cold storage. Generating strategies that decrease CI to mandarin can reduce quantitative and qualitative losses [...] Read more.
‘Arrayana’ mandarin is one of the most cultivated citrus species in Colombia, but this fruit has a short postharvest life and is sensitive to chilling injury (CI) during cold storage. Generating strategies that decrease CI to mandarin can reduce quantitative and qualitative losses postharvest. Brassinosteroids (BR) have been used as a sustainable technology to alleviate CI in fruits and improve postharvest quality. This study evaluated the effect of applying the 24-epibrasinolide analogue (EBR), at doses of 5 mg L−1; DI-31 analogue, at 5 and 10 mg L−1; and control, on the main physical and biochemical characteristics of ‘Arrayana’ mandarin stored at 4 °C for 40 days and, subsequently, 7 days at room temperature (shelf life). The application of EBR and DI-31 analogues reduced the appearance of CI in the exocarp of ‘Arrayana’ mandarin fruits by reducing electrolyte leakage, maintaining membrane integrity, and increasing antioxidant activity and phenol content at the end of cold storage and shelf life. This was especially pronounced with 5 mg L−1 of EBR. Similarly, the BR maintained the postharvest quality of mandarins by reducing weight loss, respiratory intensity, and chlorophyll degradation; increasing β-carotene; and maintaining titratable acidity and soluble solids. Our research reports, for the first time, CI tolerance in Arrayana mandarin using natural (EBR) and spirostanic (DI-31) analogues and illustrates the tolerance functionality of the DI-31 analogue on CI in the fruit postharvest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
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15 pages, 3338 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Storage Performance of ‘Valencia’ Oranges and Generation of Shelf-Life Prediction Models
by Abiola Owoyemi, Ron Porat, Amnon Lichter, Adi Doron-Faigenboim, Omri Jovani, Noam Koenigstein and Yael Salzer
Horticulturae 2022, 8(7), 570; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8070570 - 22 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1909
Abstract
We conducted a large-scale, high-throughput phenotyping analysis of the effects of various preharvest and postharvest features on the quality of ‘Valencia’ oranges in order to develop shelf-life prediction models. Altogether, we evaluated 10,800 oranges (~3.6 tons) harvested from three orchards at different periods [...] Read more.
We conducted a large-scale, high-throughput phenotyping analysis of the effects of various preharvest and postharvest features on the quality of ‘Valencia’ oranges in order to develop shelf-life prediction models. Altogether, we evaluated 10,800 oranges (~3.6 tons) harvested from three orchards at different periods and conducted 151,200 measurements of 14 quality parameters. The storage time was the most important feature affecting fruit quality, followed by the yield, storage temperature, humidity, and harvest time. The storage time and temperature features significantly affected (p < 0.001) all or most of the tested quality parameters, whereas the harvest time, yield, and humidity conditions significantly affected several particular quality parameters, and the selection of rootstocks had no significant effect at all. Five regression models were evaluated for their ability to predict fruit quality based on preharvest and postharvest features. Non-linear Support Vector Regression (SVR) combined with a data-balancing approach was found to be the most effective approach. It allowed the prediction of fruit-acceptance scores among the full data set, with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.195 and an R2 of 0.884. The obtained data and models should assist in determining the potential storage times of different batches of fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
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20 pages, 5251 KiB  
Article
Decay Incidence and Quality Changes of Film Packaged ‘Simeto’ Mandarins Treated with Sodium Bicarbonate
by Salvatore D’Aquino, Maria Concetta Strano, Alessandra Gentile and Amedeo Palma
Horticulturae 2022, 8(5), 354; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8050354 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1877
Abstract
Not rinsing sodium bicarbonate (SBC) treated fruit with freshwater can reduce post-harvest decay, but it can also be phytotoxic to peel tissues. Film packaging delays the ageing of peel, due to the high in-package humidity, but this also stimulates the growth of pathogens. [...] Read more.
Not rinsing sodium bicarbonate (SBC) treated fruit with freshwater can reduce post-harvest decay, but it can also be phytotoxic to peel tissues. Film packaging delays the ageing of peel, due to the high in-package humidity, but this also stimulates the growth of pathogens. Thus, as stand-alone treatments, both SBC and film packaging present advantages, but also drawbacks. In this study, SBC phytotoxicity was effectively mitigated when ‘Simeto’ mandarins, subjected to a 2 min dip treatment in a 2% SBC solution, were packaged using Omni film (highly permeable to water vapor and gases) or Coralife SWAF 400 film (with a low permeability to water vapor, but moderately permeable to gases). In particular, the combination Coralife SWAF 400 film allowed the fruit to be stored for 7 d at 5 °C, or 14 d at 20 °C, with negligible changes in overall appearance, almost no loss caused by decay, and an average weight loss of 1.3%. The in-package air composition, similar to air in Omni packages, and with an average between 5 kPa CO2 and 16 kPa O2 in Coralife SWAF 400 packages, slightly affected the sensory and chemical qualities. Combining SBC with film packaging is a feasible method to prolong the post-harvest life of citrus fruit, and control post-harvest diseases, while avoiding the use of synthetic fungicides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
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15 pages, 2892 KiB  
Article
Monitoring Freeze-Damage in Grapefruit by Electric Bioimpedance Spectroscopy and Electric Equivalent Models
by David Romero Fogué, Rafael Masot Peris, Javier Ibáñez Civera, Laura Contat Rodrigo and Nicolas Laguarda-Miro
Horticulturae 2022, 8(3), 218; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8030218 - 02 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2685
Abstract
Grapefruit is a cold-sensitive citrus fruit, and freezing can spoil the harvest when the fruit is still on the tree and even later during manufacturing and transport due to inappropriate postharvest management. This study performed a specific Electric Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis and [...] Read more.
Grapefruit is a cold-sensitive citrus fruit, and freezing can spoil the harvest when the fruit is still on the tree and even later during manufacturing and transport due to inappropriate postharvest management. This study performed a specific Electric Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis and statistical data treatment to obtain an EIS and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)-based model for early freeze-damage detection in grapefruit showing a Correct Correlation Rate of 100%. Additionally, Cryo-Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy observations were conducted on both fresh and frozen/thawed samples, analyzing the different impedance responses in order to understand the biological changes in the tissue. Finally, a modified Hayden electric equivalent model was parameterized to simulate the impedance response electrically and link the electric behavior of biological tissue to the change in its properties due to freezing. The developed technique is introduced as an alternative to the traditional ones, as it is fast, economic, and easy to carry out. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
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13 pages, 6049 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Changes, Peel Colour, and Juice Attributes of Blood Orange Cultivars Stored at Different Temperatures
by Fariborz Habibi, Fabián Guillén, María Serrano and Daniel Valero
Horticulturae 2021, 7(9), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7090320 - 16 Sep 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3369
Abstract
Changes in physicochemical traits, peel colour, and juice attributes of four blood orange cultivars (‘Moro’, ‘Tarocco’, ‘Sanguinello’, and ‘Sanguine’) were evaluated during 180 days at 2 and 5 °C plus 2 days at 20 °C for shelf life. ‘Tarocco’ had the lowest weight [...] Read more.
Changes in physicochemical traits, peel colour, and juice attributes of four blood orange cultivars (‘Moro’, ‘Tarocco’, ‘Sanguinello’, and ‘Sanguine’) were evaluated during 180 days at 2 and 5 °C plus 2 days at 20 °C for shelf life. ‘Tarocco’ had the lowest weight and firmness losses at both temperatures during storage. Titratable acidity (TA) at 5 °C was higher than 2 °C, with ‘Sanguinello’ and ‘Tarocco’ showing the highest and lowest TA, respectively. Juice content decreased during storage at both temperatures, although ‘Sanguinello’ had the highest juice content among the tested cultivars. Peel colour parameters including L* (lightness), b*, hue angle (h°), and chroma (C*) decreased during cold storage, while a* and citrus colour index (CCI) increased in all cultivars at both temperatures. The order for CCI was ‘Tarocco’ > ‘Moro’ > ‘Sanguinello’ > ‘Sanguine’. Overall, prolonged storage at 5 °C was considered as optimum temperature for all cultivars, although ‘Sanguinello’ cultivar had a better aptitude for the citrus juice industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
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Review

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32 pages, 518 KiB  
Review
Postharvest Technologies of Fresh Citrus Fruit: Advances and Recent Developments for the Loss Reduction during Handling and Storage
by Maria Concetta Strano, Giuseppe Altieri, Maria Allegra, Giovanni Carlo Di Renzo, Giuliana Paterna, Attilio Matera and Francesco Genovese
Horticulturae 2022, 8(7), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8070612 - 06 Jul 2022
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 9854
Abstract
Citrus spp. are spread mainly in the Mediterranean basin and represent the largest fruit source for human consumption. Postharvest losses, mainly due to diseases and metabolic disorders of fruits, can cause severe wastage, reaching 30 to 50% of the total production. Preserving quality [...] Read more.
Citrus spp. are spread mainly in the Mediterranean basin and represent the largest fruit source for human consumption. Postharvest losses, mainly due to diseases and metabolic disorders of fruits, can cause severe wastage, reaching 30 to 50% of the total production. Preserving quality and extending shelf life are essential objectives for postharvest technological innovation, determined by the proper handling, treatment, storage and transport of harvested produce. Moreover, the application of novel sustainable strategies is critical for the reduction of synthetic fungicide residues on fruit surfaces and the impact on the environment caused by waste disposal of fungicides. In this article, the current knowledge about the safest and more sustainable strategies, as well as advanced postharvest handling and storage technologies, will be critically reviewed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
15 pages, 317 KiB  
Review
Postharvest Disinfestation Treatments for False Codling Moth and Fruit Flies in Citrus from South Africa
by Sean Moore and Aruna Manrakhan
Horticulturae 2022, 8(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8030221 - 03 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3503
Abstract
South Africa is the 13th largest producer and second largest exporter of citrus fruit globally. The false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, and the fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata, C. rosa and Bactrocera dorsalis, can potentially infest citrus fruit and therefore pose [...] Read more.
South Africa is the 13th largest producer and second largest exporter of citrus fruit globally. The false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, and the fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata, C. rosa and Bactrocera dorsalis, can potentially infest citrus fruit and therefore pose a phytosanitary risk for export markets. Consequently, a wide range of postharvest phytosanitary treatments for disinfestation of citrus fruit from these pests have been investigated. These include cold treatments, irradiation, fumigation, heat treatments, and combinations of some of these. Due to the potential phytotoxic effects of all these treatments, the use of a systems approach that depends on two or more independent measures for acceptable phytosanitary risk mitigation is a preferable option. To date, the only postharvest disinfestation treatments used commercially for T. leucotreta and fruit flies for South African citrus, are stand-alone cold treatments and partial cold treatments, as a component in a multi-tiered systems approach. Research on development of novel and improvement of existing postharvest measures continues as a high priority. This includes postharvest detection technologies, in addition to treatment technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Management of Citrus Fruit)
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