Hexanal and Salicylic acid: Improves postharvest quality and shelf life of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa cv. Winter Dawn) under low storage temperature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2026.1101013Keywords:
Hexanal, Postharvest quality, Salicylic acid, Shelf life, StrawberryAbstract
Postharvest quality and shelf life of strawberry are highly susceptible to rapid ripening and decay, leading to significant economic losses from grower’s perspective. Therefore, study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hexanal and salicylic acid as dip treatment under different storage temperatures on physico-chemical and biochemical attributes of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa cv. Winter Dawn) fruits. The study consisted ten treatments combinations and three replications. Fruits were treated with hexanal @ 4mM, stored at 6 ºC temperatures and exhibited highest shelf life (24 days), reduced physiological weight loss (7.52%), lower decay incidence (26.66%), better firmness retention (3.96 kg/cm2), higher retention of ascorbic acid (47.42mg/100gm), phenolic compounds (288.37 mg GE/100g), and antioxidant activity (64.19% DPPH inhibition) at 16 DAS. Salicylic acid also extended shelf life (14 days) and maintained biochemical properties compared to control. These effects are associated with reduced enzymatic activity related to ripening, lower respiration rates, and modulation of oxidative processes, hence can be recommended as a practical and efficient postharvest handling tools to extend shelf life and biochemical properties of strawberry.
Downloads
References
Aaby, K., Mazur, S., Nes, A., & Skrede, G. (2012). Phenolic compounds in strawberry (Fragariax ananassa Duch.) fruits: Composition in 27 cultivars and changes during ripening. Food Chemistry, 132, 86-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.10.037
Afrin, S., Gasparrini, M., Forbes-Hernandez, T. Y., Reboredo-Rodriguez, P., Mezzetti, B., Varela-López, A., & Battino, M. (2016). Promising health benefits of the strawberry: a focus on clinical studies. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 64(22), 4435-4449. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b00857
Ali, M. R., Darwish, O. S., Khojah, E., Samra, B. N., Ramadan, K. M., & El-Mogy, M. M. (2021). Pre-harvest application of salicylic acid, abscisic acid, and methyl jasmonate conserve bioactive compounds of strawberry fruits during refrigerated storage. Horticulturae, 7(12), 568. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7120568
Archbold Hamilton-Kemp T. R., Clements, A. M., & Collins, R. W. (1999). Fumigating Crimson Seedless Table Grapes with (E)-2-Hexenal Reduces Mold during Long-term Postharvest Storage. Hort Science, 34, 705-07. https://doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.34.4.705
Ayala-Zavala, J. F., Wang, S., Wang, C.Y., & González-Aguilar, G. A. (2004). Effect of storage temperatures on antioxidant capacity and aroma compounds in strawberry fruit. Lwt - Food Science and Technology, 37, 687-695. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LWT.2004.03.002
Azizah, M., Gopinadhan, P., & Sullivan, J. A. (2014). Effect of Hexanal Treatment on the Main Phenolic and Volatile Compounds in Strawberry Fruits. Trans. Malaysian Soc. Plant Physiol. 3(8), 165-169. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20173097612
Bhat, R., & Stamminger, R. (2015). Preserving strawberry quality by employing novel food preservation and processing techniques-recent updates and future scope- An overview. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 38, 536-54. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.12184
Cheema, A., Padmanabhan, P., Subramanian, J., Blom, T., & Paliyath, G. (2016). Improving quality of greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by pre and postharvest applications of hexanal containing formulations. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 95, 13-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2014.03.012
Eghdami, A., & Sadeghi, F. (2010). Determination of total phenolic and flavonoids contents in methanolic and aqueous extract of Achillea millefolium. Organic Chemistry Journal, 2, 81-84. https://www.magiran.com/p1650422
El-Kayal, W., El-Sharkawy, I., Dowling, C., Paliyath, G., Sullivan, J.A., & Subramanian, J. (2017). Effect of preharvest application of hexanal and growth regulators in enhancing shelf life and regulation of membrane-associated genes in strawberry. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 97(6), 1109-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2016-0351
Feng, X., Li, X., Zhang, C., Kong, X., Chen, Y., & Hua, Y. (2022). Formation Mechanism of Hexanal and (E)-2-Hexenal during Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] Processing Based on the Subcellular and Molecular Levels. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(1), 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c06732
Garcia, L. C., Pereira, L. M., de Luca Sarantópoulos, C. I., & Hubinger, M. D. (2012). Effect of antimicrobial starch edible coating on shelf‐life of fresh strawberries. Packaging Technology and Science, 25(7), 413-425.
Gholami, M., Sedighi, A., Ershadi, A., & Sarikhani, H. (2010). Effect of pre and postharvest treatments of salicylic and gibberellic acid on ripening and some physicochemical properties of Mashhad sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit. Acta Horticulturae, 884, 257-64. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.884.30
Kaviani, B., Lolaei, A., Rezaei, M.A., Raad, M.K., & Mohammadipour, R. (2012). Effect of pre and postharvest treatment of Salicylic acid on ripening of fruit and overall quality of Strawberry (Fragaria ananasa Duch cv. Camarosa) fruit. Scholars Research Library, 10(3), 4680-84.
Kumar, R., Lal, S., & Kumar, M. (2014). Effect of post harvest packing materials and calcium on shelf life of guava. Agricultural Science Digest-A Research Journal, 34(2), 127. https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-0547.2014.00030.5
Latimer, G. W., Jr. (2023). Official Methods of Analysis: 22nd edition (2023). Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International, New York. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780197610145.002.001
Lees, D.H., & Francis, F.J. (1972). Standardization of pigment analysis in cranberries. HortScience, 7, 83.84. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.7.1.83
Lv, J., Zheng, T., Song, Z., Pervaiz, T., Dong, T., Zhang, Y., Jia, H., & Fang, J. (2021). Strawberry Proteome Responses to Controlled Hot and Cold Stress Partly Mimic Post-harvest Storage Temperature Effects on Fruit Quality. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, 812666. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.812666
Mao, W., Han, Y., Chen, Y., Sun, M., Feng, Q., Li, L., Liu, L., Zhang, K., Wei, L., Han, Z., & Li, B. (2022). Low temperature inhibits anthocyanin accumulation in strawberry fruit by activating FvMAPK3-induced phosphorylation of FvMYB10 and degradation of Chalcone Synthase 1. The Plant Cell, 34(4), 1226-1249. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac006
Mashora, A., Gill, P., Jawandha, S., Sinha, A., & Kaur, N. (2021). Physico-chemical and Enzymatic Changes in Cold Stored ‘Dusehri’ Mango Fruits in Response to Beeswax and Aloe Vera Gel Coatings. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, 9(1), 1-9. https:/doi: 10.12691/jfnr-9-1-1
Paul, V., & Pandey, R. (2014). Role of internal atmosphere on fruit ripening and storability-a review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 51(7), 1223–1250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-011-0583-x
Rahman, M. M., & Rahman, M. M. (2017). Effect of storage temperature on postharvest quality of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch) genotypes. International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation, 5(4), 123-28. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJPTI.2017.10013743
Ranganna, S. (1986). Handbook of Analysis and Quality Control for Fruits and Vegetable Products (second edition). Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi. 9-10.
Salari, N., Afsharmanesh, G., & Khajehpour, G. (2012). Effect of salicylic acid on post-harvest quantitative and qualitative traits of strawberry cultivars. Advances in Environmental Biology, 7(1), 94-99. https://www.aensiweb.com/old/aeb/2013/94-99.pdf
Sharma, M., Jacob, J.K., Subramanian, J., & Paliyath, G. (2010). Hexanal and 1-MCP treatments for enhancing the shelf life and quality of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.). Scientia Horticulturae, 125, 239-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2010.03.020
Vahdat, S., Ghazvini, R.F., & Ghasemnezhad, M. (2010). Effect of aloe vera gel on maintenance of strawberry fruit quality. Acta Horticulturae, 877, 919-24. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.877.123
Vu, K.D., Hollingsworth, R.G., Leroux, E., Salmieri, S., & Lacroix, M. (2010). Development of edible bioactive coating based on modified chitosan for increasing the shelf life of strawberries. Food Research International, 44(1), 198-203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2010.10.037
Wang, H., Li, Y., Wassie, M., Huo, L., & Shi, H. (2024). Salicylic Acid Spray Delays Sand Pear Fruit Senescence during Room Temperature Shelf Life by Regulating Antioxidant Capacity and Senescence-Related Genes. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 13(6), 848. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060848
Yumbya, P., Hutchinson, M., Ambuko, J., & Owino, W. (2019). Effect of hexanal as a post-harvest treatment to extend the shelf-life of banana fruits (Musa acuminata var. Sweet banana) in Kenya. International Journal of Plant and Soil Science, 29(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijpss/2019/v29i230140
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Agriculture and Environmental Science Academy
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
