Influence of storage temperature and duration on postharvest physico-chemical and mechanical properties of pomegranate fruit and arils

Figures & data

Figure 1. Cumulative weight loss for pomegranate fruit (Wonderful cultivar) at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months. Different letters on bars mean statistically significant differences (p<0.05).

Figura 1. Pérdida de peso acumulada de la granada (Wonderful cultivar) [almacenada] durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR). Letras diferentes en las barras indican diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p<0,05).

Table 1. Peel thickness and moisture content of ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 1. Grosor de la cáscara y contenido de humedad de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

			Moisture content
Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	Peel thickness (mm)	Aril (%)	Peel (%)
Initial		5.30 ± 0.02ab	81.24 ± 0.34a	78.58 ± 0.48a
1	21	4.20 ± 0.05d	83.49 ± 0.10a	73.08 ± 0.50bc
	10	5.32 ± 0.03a	80.64 ± 0.32a	75.18 ± 0.89ab
	7.5	5.30 ± 0.02ab	81.34 ± 0.20a	76.02 ± 0.35ab
	5	5.30 ± 0.02ab	81.07 ± 0.16a	76.56 ± 0.32ab
2	10	4.61 ± 0.02d	82.45 ± 0.24a	68.29 ± 0.73cde
	7.5	4.57 ± 0.02d	79.74 ± 0.04a	70.60 ± 0.24cd
	5	4.67 ± 0.02cd	83.06 ± 0.14a	73.64 ± 0.31bc
3	10	4.58 ± 0.02cd	80.10 ± 0.41a	68.46 ± 0.20def
	7.5	4.84 ± 0.02cd	80.66 ± 0.12a	70.19 ± 0.30cd
	5	4.57 ± 0.02bc	80.92 ± 0.09a	68.53 ± 0.49def
4	10	3.61 ± 0.02e	81.13 ± 0.07a	66.16 ± 0.44dfg
	7.5	3.87 ± 0.02e	85.11 ± 0.64a	64.55 ± 1.40fg
	5	4.50 ± 0.02d	81.05 ± 0.04a	66.18 ± 0.32defg
5	7.5	3.66 ± 0.02e	82.72 ± 0.26a	59.49 ± 0.59g
	5	3.69 ± 0.02e	81.69 ± 0.16a	65.13 ± 0.17efg
p-value		<0.0001	0.99945	<0.0001

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.

Table 2. Peel color dynamics of ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 2. Dinámicas del color de la cáscara de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	L*	a*	C*	h°
Initial		48.27 ± 0.24ef	39.81 ± 0.21bc	47.09 ± 0.12cd	32.02 ± 0.19cdef
1	21	42.46 ± 0.14g	38.75 ± 0.11cd	44.10 ± 0.11ef	28.27 ± 0.12f
	10	48.38 ± 0.28ef	39.56 ± 0.25bc	46.47 ± 0.15de	31.42 ± 0.26cdef
	7.5	46.75 ± 0.25fg	40.87 ± 0.18bc	47.23 ± 0.13cd	29.72 ± 0.23ef
	5	45.86 ± 0.23fg	41.91 ± 0.13bc	47.80 ± 0.13bcd	28.29 ± 0.18f
2	10	64.15 ± 0.37a	39.27 ± 0.32c	47.30 ± 0.25cd	33.53 ± 0.33bcde
	7.5	61.38 ± 0.34ab	42.32 ± 0.22bc	49.59 ± 0.15bc	30.86 ± 0.29cef
	5	58.41 ± 0.29bc	46.13 ± 0.17a	53.57 ± 0.15a	30.03 ± 0.22ef
3	10	56.45 ± 0.36cd	33.27 ± 0.24ef	41.25 ± 0.20fgh	35.60 ± 0.32abc
	7.5	55.59 ± 0.31cd	41.02 ± 0.22bc	49.08 ± 0.13bcd	32.59 ± 0.31bcdef
	5	51.91 ± 0.27de	43.27 ± 0.17ab	50.54 ± 0.15b	30.40 ± 0.24bcdef
4	10	46.99 ± 0.26efg	29.66 ± 0.21g	38.63 ± 0.17h	39.24 ± 0.30a
	7.5	46.23 ± 0.27fg	33.42 ± 0.16ef	41.57 ± 0.14fg	35.57 ± 0.29abc
	5	44.26 ± 0.22fg	35.83 ± 0.15de	43.25 ± 0.13f	32.34 ± 0.15bcdef
5	7.5	44.67 ± 0.23fg	30.84 ± 0.17fg	39.82 ± 0.12gh	37.30 ± 0.32ab
	5	42.88 ± 0.22g	34.97 ± 0.17e	42.90 ± 0.14f	35.45 ± 0.31abcd
p-value		<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.

Table 3. Aril color dynamics of ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 3. Dinámicas del color del arilo de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	L*	a*	C*	h°
Initial		25.83 ± 0.28abc	23.94 ± 0.21abc	26.68 ± 0.23a	25.90 ± 0.10ab
1	21	18.63 ± 0.27efg	20.40 ± 0.21def	22.72 ± 0.24bcd	25.76 ± 0.16ab
	10	24.82 ± 0.34abcd	22.12 ± 0.19bcd	24.98 ± 0.21ab	26.94 ± 0.19a
	7.5	23.17 ± 0.35bce	18.75 ± 0.19ef	21.27 ± 0.19cde	27.02 ± 0.30a
	5	19.24 ± 0.29efg	21.08 ± 0.17cdef	23.40 ± 0.19bc	25.03 ± 0.23ab
2	10	26.05 ± 0.31abc	24.91 ± 0.18ab	27.23 ± 0.21a	23.03 ± 0.15bcd
	7.5	28.50 ± 0.36a	24.59 ± 0.19abc	25.40 ± 0.20ab	21.08 ± 0.20cde
	5	26.84 ± 0.39ab	25.27 ± 0.10a	27.34 ± 0.11a	22.31 ± 0.08bcd
3	10	24.24 ± 0.30abcd	21.36 ± 0.19dce	23.48 ± 0.21bc	23.83 ± 0.20abc
	7.5	20.89 ± 0.29def	18.63 ± 0.15ef	19.86 ± 0.18def	18.38 ± 0.22e
	5	21.81 ± 0.19cdef	21.93 ± 0.14bcd	23.11 ± 0.15bcd	17.90 ± 0.10e
4	10	14.86 ± 0.21g	17.97 ± 0.16fg	19.56 ± 0.18ef	22.30 ± 0.17bd
	7.5	15.74 ± 0.21g	19.04 ± 0.15def	20.47 ± 0.17cef	20.98 ± 0.12cde
	5	15.68 ± 0.15g	19.56 ± 0.19def	20.95 ± 0.21cef	19.85 ± 0.15de
5	7.5	17.71 ± 0.21fg	15.69 ± 0.21g	17.64 ± 0.22f	25.06 ± 0.50ab
	5	19.19 ± 0.26efg	19.10 ± 0.16def	20.62 ± 0.15cdef	20.31 ± 0.18cde
p-value		<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.

Table 4. Chemical attributes of ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 4. Atributos químicos de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	TSS	TA	pH	TSS:TA	BrimA
Initial		13.38 ± 0.11g	1.37 ± 0.04abc	3.09 ± 0.02abc	10.59 ± 0.33f	10.64 ± 0.16e
1	21	14.35 ± 0.13cdef	1.03 ± 0.03ef	3.11 ± 0.01a	14.75 ± 0.32f	12.30 ± 0.13de
	10	14.84 ± 0.12ef	1.59 ± 0.04a	3.04 ± 0.01ef	10.16 ± 0.37bde	10.64 ± 0.15cd
	7.5	15.36 ± 0.11abcde	0.96 ± 0.02ef	3.22 ± 0.01ef	16.80 ± 0.42abc	13.45 ± 0.12abc
	5	16.22 ± 0.13a	0.95 ± 0.03ef	3.37 ± 0.02ef	18.04 ± 0.51ab	14.33 ± 0.11a
2	10	15.80 ± 0.07abc	1.42 ± 0.03ab	3.02 ± 0.01ab	11.55 ± 0.23ef	12.96 ± 0.08bc
	7.5	15.95 ± 0.12ab	1.16 ± 0.03bcde	3.35 ± 0.01bcde	14.32 ± 0.33cde	13.62 ± 0.17ab
	5	15.51 ± 0.08abcd	1.01 ± 0.02ef	3.17 ± 0.01ef	14.69 ± 0.25bcde	13.64 ± 0.08ab
3	10	15.42 ± 0.12abcde	1.43 ± 0.04ab	3.19 ± 0.02ab	11.50 ± 0.33ef	12.56 ± 0.13bcd
	7.5	15.84 ± 0.08abc	1.19 ± 0.03bcde	3.29 ± 0.01bcde	14.14 ± 0.39cde	13.46 ± 0.12abc
	5	15.84 ± 0.08abc	1.09 ± 0.02def	3.42 ± 0.01def	14.93 ± 0.26bcde	13.24 ± 0.11ab
4	10	16.02 ± 0.13ab	1.31 ± 0.03bcd	3.18 ± 0.01bcd	12.88 ± 0.36def	11.66 ± 0.17abc
	7.5	14.71 ± 0.11def	1.01 ± 0.02ef	3.53 ± 0.01ef	15.19 ± 0.31bcd	12.71 ± 0.12bcd
	5	16.20 ± 0.10a	0.87 ± 0.01f	3.56 ± 0.01f	19.03 ± 0.34a	12.74 ± 0.40bcd
5	7.5	14.12 ± 0.11fg	0.94 ± 0.02ef	3.50 ± 0.01ef	15.63 ± 0.36bcd	12.23 ± 0.12bc
	5	15.07 ± 0.09bcdef	1.11 ± 0.02cdf	3.49 ± 0.01cdef	14.07 ± 0.33cde	12.85 ± 0.12bcd
p-value		<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001

Notes: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. TSS, total soluble solids (Brix); TA, titratable acidity (% citric acid). Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.

Table 5. Puncture resistance for ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 5. Resistencia a la perforación de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	Force (N)
Initial		127.94 ± 1.19ab
1	10	138.64 ± 1.29a
	7.5	133.52 ± 1.45a
	5	130.29 ± 1.36ab
2	10	126.83 ± 0.98ab
	7.5	122.66 ± 1.01abc
	5	114.00 ± 1.29bcd
3	10	122.00 ± 1.19abc
	7.5	112.03 ± 1.54bcd
	5	109.36 ± 0.77cde
4	10	97.50 ± 1.13def
	7.5	104.38 ± 1.28def
	5	95.69 ± 0.97ef
5	7.5	97.50 ± 1.13def
	5	86.25 ± 1.08f
p-value		<0.0001

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.

Table 6. Fruit compression property for ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 6. Características de compresión de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	Elastic modulus (N/mm)	Firmness (N)	Toughness (N mm)	Bioyield (N)
Initial		355.77 ± 12.18a	295.24 ± 2.28a	1236.12 ± 15.28a	32.81 ± 0.52a
1	10	315.91 ± 10.67a	250.39 ± 2.57bc	1111.68 ± 12.39ab	26.34 ± 0.26bc
	7.5	254.22 ± 12.71a	233.65 ± 12.52bcd	1042.40 ± 55.58bc	23.55 ± 1.32bcdef
	5	221.95 ± 9.57a	231.15 ± 2.27cd	977.76 ± 11.33bcd	23.26 ± 0.23bcdef
2	10	277.42 ± 9.49a	255.99 ± 2.05ab	1065.65 ± 10.69ab	27.66 ± 0.30b
	7.5	231.85 ± 12.30a	211.18 ± 3.93de	825.27 ± 20.41d	21.68 ± 0.31cdef
	5	252.41 ± 12.21a	204.47 ± 2.21de	834.76 ± 13.10d	21.53 ± 0.31cf
3	10	321.02 ± 15.30a	232.67 ± 2.92bcd	960.79 ± 13.91bcd	24.83 ± 0.45bcde
	7.5	310.25 ± 10.17a	207.46 ± 2.18de	893.18 ± 9.09cd	20.75 ± 0.22def
	5	302.96 ± 10.92a	189.80 ± 2.41ef	795.51 ± 11.63d	19.00 ± 0.24f
4	10	360.39 ± 19.65a	220.89 ± 3.43cde	882.54 ± 13.60cd	24.20 ± 0.53bcdef
	7.5	329.88 ± 12.62a	213.05 ± 2.34de	868.25 ± 9.89cd	23.41 ± 0.49bcdef
	5	308.76 ± 14.42a	200.16 ± 2.66de	837.91 ± 12.03d	20.35 ± 0.26dcdef
5	7.5	379.79 ± 18.70a	228.20 ± 2.66cd	870.93 ± 13.07cd	25.30 ± 0.40bcd
	5	192.68 ± 9.52a	162.64 ± 1.78f	574.07 ± 10.14e	19.42 ± 0.39ef
p-value		0.05463	<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test.

Table 7. Fruit cutting test for ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 7. Prueba de corte de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	Force (N)	Toughness (N mm)
Initial	–	229.56 ± 3.08a	1425.43 ± 29.55abcd
1	10	203.29 ± 2.08abc	1269.95 ± 17.94bcde
	7.5	193.69 ± 2.29abc	1108.50 ± 16.56de
	5	203.82 ± 3.20abc	1535.42 ± 38.89abc
2	10	191.15 ± 2.41bc	1272.48 ± 27.20bcde
	7.5	153.81 ± 2.33abc	909.21 ± 23.27de
	5	194.71 ± 2.63abc	1433.98 ± 26.83abcd
3	10	191.75 ± 1.81bc	1433.98 ± 25.92abcd
	7.5	185.41 ± 2.06bcd	1152.08 ± 15.98cde
	5	190.74 ± 3.05cd	1343.88 ± 36.07bcde
4	10	200.34 ± 2.26d	1113.32 ± 21.10e
	7.5	184.66 ± 1.66bcd	1297.75 ± 21.25bcd
	5	222.30 ± 2.62ab	1709.68 ± 30.14a
5	7.5	198.53 ± 2.93abc	1549.95 ± 30.18ab
	5	201.13 ± 1.56abc	1459.37 ± 35.03abcd
p-value		0.0512	0.00025

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.

Table 8. Aril compression property of ‘Wonderful’ fruit stored at 21°C (65% RH), 10°C (92% RH), 7.5°C (92% RH), and 5°C (92% RH) for 5 months.

Tabla 8. Características de compresión del arilo de la fruta “Wonderful” almacenada durante cinco meses a: 21°C (65% HR), 10°C (92% HR), 7,5°C (92% HR), y 5°C (92% HR).

Duration (months)	Temperature (°C)	Elastic modulus (N/mm)	Hardness (N)	Toughness (N mm)	Bioyield (N)
Initial		4.15 ± 0.10a	127.30 ± 0.97a	157.46 ± 1.51a	18.76 ± 0.14ab
1	10	3.18 ± 0.08bcd	125.80 ± 0.84a	154.82 ± 1.19ab	18.67 ± 0.11ab
	7.5	2.55 ± 0.08def	121.03 ± 0.68abcd	146.45 ± 1.13abcdef	17.66 ± 0.15abc
	5	4.52 ± 0.08a	123.24 ± 0.93abc	147.28 ± 1.10abcdef	18.69 ± 0.13ab
2	10	4.38 ± 0.10a	124.35 ± 0.98ab	156.21 ± 1.15a	18.15 ± 0.13abc
	7.5	2.80 ± 0.08cdf	124.41 ± 0.71ab	148.38 ± 0.84abcde	18.60 ± 0.12ab
	5	3.77 ± 0.10ab	123.62 ± 0.54ab	149.20 ± 0.71abcd	18.10 ± 0.09abc
3	10	2.16 ± 0.08ef	117.26 ± 0.67be	136.23 ± 0.79ef	18.24 ± 0.10ac
	7.5	2.76 ± 0.09df	119.52 ± 0.72ae	143.02 ± 1.12bf	18.22 ± 0.12ac
	5	2.94 ± 0.08bdf	117.26 ± 0.90be	142.22 ± 1.60cf	18.65 ± 0.16ab
4	10	3.07 ± 0.05bde	112.29 ± 0.38e	139.41 ± 0.62df	17.50 ± 0.06ac
	7.5	3.20 ± 0.07bd	112.22 ± 0.79e	135.56 ± 1.10f	16.91 ± 0.14c
	5	4.01 ± 0.10abc	119.93 ± 0.73ab	148.18 ± 1.35abc	18.43 ± 0.13a
5	7.5	2.12 ± 0.03f	113.20 ± 0.29de	140.84 ± 0.52df	17.01 ± 0.06c
	5	2.70 ± 0.59def	115.37 ± 020ce	132.01 ± 0.78bf	17.66 ± 0.13bc
p-value		<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001	<0.0001

Note: Values are presented as mean ± SE. Mean values in the same column followed by different letter(s) indicate significant difference (p < 0.05) according to Duncan’s multiple range test. Storage trials for fruits stored at 21°C and 10°C were discontinued after 1 month and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay.