Simultaneous effects of hot water treatment with calcium and salicylic acid on shelf life and qualitative characteristics of strawberry during refrigerated storage

Strawberry fruits were initially dipped into 1 mM salicylic acid (SA), 2% calcium chloride (CaCl2), and a combination of SA and CaCl2 at two water temperatures of 20 degrees C (CWT) and 45 degrees C (HWT) for 5 min and then stored at 4 degrees C for 14 d. Results showed that SA and CaCl2 treatments improved some fruit attributes including antioxidant capacity, total phenolic compounds, vitamin C, and total protein, whereas suppressed malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Accordingly, they retarded fruit decay and improved fruit quality during storage. Results also revealed that applying hot water (at 45 degrees C) in simultaneousness with dip treatments interestingly improved fruit quality and diminished fruit's weight loss, as compared with using them at an ambient temperature (20 degrees C). In conclusion, employing SA and CaCl2 dip treatments along with hot water at 45 degrees C maintained strawberry's fruit quality more efficiently during storage as compared with using them without hot water. Practical applications Regarding extending shelf life and improving quality of strawberry at cold storage, we showed that application calcium chloride and salicylic acid in simultaneous with hot water is more efficient rather than their application with cold water.