Physico-Chemical Changes in Peach Fruit during Storage

Peach undergoes various ripening changes after harvest and the magnitude of post-harvest losses in fresh fruits is extraordinarily high resulting in proportionately higher economic losses than that of pre-harvest losses. An attempt was made to reduce these losses in which physiologically mature, uniform and healthy fruits of peach cv. SHAN-I-PUNJAB were harvested and treated for 5-minutes in aqueous solutions of spermidine, spermine and putrescine at three different concentrations viz., 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 mmol L^-1 and treated fruits were packed in CFB boxes before storage at 0 to 1°C and 90-95 per cent RH for 32 days. Results revealed that post-harvest treatments of spermidine, spermine and putrescine were effective in delaying ripening and extending the post-harvest life of peach fruits under cold storage conditions. Putrescine @ 3 mmol L^-1 treatment was found most effective in decreasing physiological loss in weight (PLW) and spoilage and maintaining the high palatability, TSS: acid and total sugars at the end storage period