Prestorage Application of Putrescine to Improve Fruit Quality, Color Parameters and Extending Shelf life of Hollywood Plum (Prunus salicina L.

Middle East Journal of Agriculture Research, 3(4): 1135-1144, 2014 ISSN 2077-4605 1135 Prestorage Application of Putrescine to Improve Fruit Quality, Color Parameters and Extending Shelf life of Hollywood Plum (Prunus salicina L.) 1 Aml, R.M. Yousef, 2 E. Abd El-Razek, 1 Hala E. Emam and 2 Dorria, M.M. Ahmed 1 Horticultural Crops Technology Department and 2 Pomology Department, National Research Centre, 33 Bohouth St. Dokki, Giza, Egypt. ABSTRACT The short shelf life of plum fruits limits its export to distant markets. The effect of postharvest applications of putrescine (Put) on stored fruits quality and shelf life of Hollywood plum were investigated at the seasons of 2012 and 2013. Mature Hollywood plum fruits were dipped in different solution concentrations of putrescine (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mmol L -1 ) as well as distilled water (control) for 6 min., then the treated fruits were dried and stored at 0 C and 90 ± 5% RH for four weeks. Fruit quality and related determinations such as fruits firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, total anthocyanins, the color parameters, Lightness (L*), Chroma (C*) and Hue angle (H 0 ) and CO 2 production, O 2 uptake were determined during the storage period at 0 C and after 7days ripe at 20 C and 80-85%RH. Putrescine treatment at 2.0 mmol L -1 can be more effective in keeping fruits firm with the least CO 2 and O 2 concentrations during storage and after 7days ripe at 20 C than 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mmol L -1 and control fruits. SSC had slight significant increased throughout the storage and ripe periods due to different applications of putrescine (Put). In general, postharvest putrescine applications recorded the highest content of total anthocyanins and the least level of titratable acidity. Lightness (L*), Chroma (C*) and Hue angle (H 0 ) color parameters had the highest significant values in plum fruits received 2.0 mmol L -1 of putrescine application after 30 days of storage at 0 C and 7days ripe at 20 C. The results revealed that plum storability could be extended with putrescine treatments due to its effect on delaying the ripening processes. Key words: Prestorage, putrescine, fruit quality, shelf life, plum. Introduction Plums belong to the Rosaceae family and include the European species (Prunus domestica L.), which is consumed as fresh or dried. Plum has been one of the noticeable fruits due to its high vitamins, fibers, phenolics, and antioxidants (Kim et al., 2003). A number of parameters are generally used to establish the optimum ripening stage including skin color, flesh texture, soluble solids concentration (SSC) and acidity together with development of aroma and flavor. Given the perishable nature of plum fruit, the use of cold storage, avoiding low temperatures effect that induce chilling injury in the sensitive cultivars, are the postharvest tools to delay the changes related to ripening, such as ethylene production, respiration rate, softening, pigment changes, increase in SSC and decrease in acidity (Guerra and Casquero, 2008). Several conservation techniques have been used to extend the post-harvest life of perishable agricultural commodities. In many cases, growers rely on alternative methods, including disinfectants or chemicals with low-residue thresholds, physical methods, controlled atmosphere, and biological control (Eshel et al., 2009). Moreover, several treatments prior to cold storage (calcium, heat, polyamines or 1-methylcyclopropene) have been reported to maintain plum quality for longer periods than low temperature alone (Valero et al., 2002 and Martínez-Romero et al., 2003). Plum fruits have short storage and shelf life. Polyamines (PAs) are known as a group of natural com- pounds with aliphatic nitrogen structure that are ubiquitous in plants, animals and microorganisms. Serrano et al. (2003) reported that postharvest polyamine (PA) treatments have been delayed the fruit ripening and increased the shelf life in different cultivars of plum. Many studies have shown that exogenously applied of polyamines affect fruit quality through some change in fruit firmness, weight loss, ethylene evolution, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity (Khosroshahi and Ashari, 2008). Other beneficial effects of exogenous polyamines, such as delayed color changes, reduced mechanical damage and chilling injury susceptibility, and increased shelf life, have been reported for both Corresponding Author: Aml, R.M. Yousef, Horticultural Crops Technology Department, National Research Centre, 33 Bohouth St. Dokki, Giza, Egypt. E-mail: amlgabr@yahoo.com

1136 climacteric and non-climacteric fruit (Serrano et al., 1996; Martı -nez-romero et al., 2002 and Perez- Vicente et al., 2002). The use of exogenously applied of polyamines inhibit ethylene production and delay fruit ripening (Perez-Vicente et al., 2002 and Torrigiani et al., 2004). The relationship between polyamines and ethylene seems to be dependent on the plant species and even on the cultivar assayed, and contradictory results have often been reported, and have been recently reviewed (Pandey et al.,2000). Exogenously applied of putrescine reduced fruit deterioration and increased shelf life of plum (Khan et al., 2008). Plums treated with 1.0 mm putrescine showed delaying and reducing in ethylene production together with higher fruit firmness, lower soluble solutions and titratable acids, reducing weight loss, and delayed color change, which led to extended storage life (Valero et al., 2002 and Serrano et al., 2003). In addition, Jawandha et al. (2012) found that fruits treated with 2.0 mm putrescine retained the best quality in term of high palatability rating, good blend of total soluble solids and acidity and low physiological loss in weight and spoilage percentage. As such, the aim of this work was to study the effect of postharvest applications of putrescine on Hollywood plum fruits quality and to extend its shelf life under cold storage. Materials and Methods Fruit: Hollywood plum fruits (Prunus salicina L.) budded on Mariana rootstock were harvested from a private orchard located in Zayed district, Minufiya governorate, Egypt in 2012 and 2013 seasons. Fruits were harvested at maturity stage from twenty years old trees grown in clay soil that were similar in growth and received common horticultural practices. Undamaged fruits, free from visual blemishes, uniform in shape, weight, color and firmness were harvested, graded, packed and transported immediately to the postharvest laboratory of Agricultural Development System (ADS) project in Cairo University. On arrival, fruits were washed, air-dried and received the following putrescine (Put) treatments. The initial quality measurements at harvest and after ripening for seven days at 20 C were determined (Table1). Table1: Fruit characteristics of Hollywood plum cultivar. Fruits stages Firmness (Ib/inch 2 ) SSC (%) TA (%) V.C (Mg/100g) Hue angle (H 0 ) Fruit Skin Chroma (C*) Hue angle (H 0 ) Fruit pulp Chroma (C*) At harvest 16.30 8.40 1.26 20.90 30.30 15.44 24.08 19.26 After 7days ripe 11.30 10.3 1.12 16.09 26.52 21.53 17.02 26.33 Postharvest treatments: Fruits were dipped in different concentrations of aqueous solution of putrescine (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm) for 6 min while the control fruits were treated with distilled water only. After postharvest putrescine treatments, fruits were air dried and packed in corrugated cardboard boxes and placed in a cold storage room at (0ºC and 90 ± 5% RH) for a total storage period of 30 days. At every 7 th day, fruits of each treatment were held in a controlled temperature chamber at 20ºC and 80-85% RH for ripening. Three replicates for each treatment and sampling time were used and each replicate consists of five fruits. Gases measurements and fruit quality were assessed. Postharvest determinations: Fruit firmness: Fruit firmness was determined using Ametek pressure tester. Firmness of 5 fruits from each replicate was measured at two opposite points on the equator of each fruit. Results were calculated as Ib/inch 2 (A.O.A.C., 1990). CO 2 production: Fruits of each sampling date were weighed and placed in 1-liter jars at 0 C or 20 C. The jars were sealed for 24 hr. with a cap and a rubber septum. O 2 and CO 2 samples of the headspace were removed from a septum with a syringe and injected into Servomex Inst. (Model 1450C, Food Pack Gas Analyzer) to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide production. (Pesis and Ben-Arie, 1984 and Lurie and Pesis, 1992).

1137 Soluble solids content (SSC) and titratable acidity (TA): SSC content was measured using a T/C hand refractometer Instrone, Brix-readings 0-30 ranges (Model 10430, Bausch and Lomb Co. Calif., USA) and express in percentage. Total acidity content (expressed as malic acid) was determined by titrating 5 ml juice with 0.1N sodium hydroxide using phenolphthalein as an indicator, methods as described by A.O.A.C., (1990). Total anthocyanins: Total anthocyanins content (mg/100g fresh weight) was measured colorimetrically at 535 nm in fruit peel and flesh according to the methods of Flueki and Francis (1968). Color measurements: Color was measured with a Minolta colorimeter (Minolta Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan)on the basis of the CIELAB color system (L*, a*, b*,c*, and h ). In this system, L*, a* and b* describe a threedimensional space, where L*(Lightness) is the vertical axis and its value varies from 100, for perfect white to zero, for black. Values of a* and b* specify the green-red and blue-yellow axis, respectively. Chroma (C*) describes the length of the color vector in the plane formed by the values of a* and b*, while Hue (h ) determines the position of such vector. C*and h values are calculated based on a* and b*values according to the following equations: C*= [(a*) 2 + (b*) 2 ] 0.5 and h =180 - tan 1 (b*/a*). Five fruits were measured objectively by averaging three measurements taken around the fruit equator, either in mesocarp and endocarp. Color was longitudinally determined on two points of each fruit (McGuire, 1992). Statistical analysis: The design for this experiment was a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Data were analyzed with the analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure of MSTATC program. Treatments means were compared by Duncan s multiple range tests at 5% level of probability in the average of two seasons of study (Steel and Torrie, 1980). Results and Discussions Fruits firmness (Ib/inch 2 ): Excessive softening is a major factor limiting the shelf life of plums (Crisosto, et al., 2004).The decrease in fruit firmness during storage was inhibited significantly by postharvest treatments. Postharvest putrescine (Put) application suppressed and delayed softness of fruit plum cv. Hollywood during storage and ripe stages. Reduction in fruit firmness was progressively decreased with increasing putrescine-applied concentrations (Figs.1and 2). All putrescine concentrations significantly increased fruit firmness. However, plum fruits treated with the highest concentration (2.0 mm) of putrescine were firmer at storage (10.12 Ib/inch 2 ) and ripe (6. 28 Ib/inch 2 ) stages than lower concentration (0.5 mm) and untreated fruits. On contrast, the lowest firmest fruit was obtained with the control which recorded (8.2 and 5.55 Ib/inch 2 ) at storage and ripe, respectively in the means of both studied seasons. Exogenous application of polyamines have also been reported to maintain the fruit firmness during ripening and after low temperature storage in Frior, Black Star and Santa Rosa plum cultivars (Abu-Kpawoh et al., 2002; Valero et al., 2002 and Serrano et al., 2003). Martinez- Romero et al. (2002) reported that the reduction in fruit softening in putrescine treated fruit might be ascribed to reduce in activities of fruit softening enzymes such as exo- polygalacturonase, endopolygalacturonase, and endoglucanase and pectin esterase. Our finding corroborates that of Khosroshahi et al. (2007), who reported that one of the main effects of polyamines during fruit and vegetable postharvest life is to maintain their flesh firmness and delay the ripening processes. Treatments with exogenous PAs (polyamines) have been shown to increase flesh firmness in several fruits, including plums (Perez-Vicente et al., 2002), peaches (Bregoli et al., 2002). The putrescine treatments significantly maintained fruit firmness of Apricot (Jad et al., 2013).

1138 CO 2 Production (%): During this study, the CO 2 production and O 2 uptake of the plum fruits were estimated during the storage period at 0 C followed by 7 th day of ripe at 20 C. (Means of the two seasons, Figs. 3 and 4). In all putrescine treatments, the CO 2 production was increased respectively and reached the highest value at the end of the storage period, while in the ripe stage, CO 2 production reached the climacteric peak after two weeks then a decrease was observed at the end of the storage period like the other climacteric fruits. The plum fruit treated with the highest concentration (2.0 mm) of putrescine recorded the lowest CO 2 production at storage and ripe stages (0.68 and 4.34%) followed by1.5 mm (0.81 and 4.60%), 1.0 mm (0.85and 4.83%) and 0.5 mm (0.94 and 5.66%), respectively compared with the untreated fruits (control) which recorded the highest value of CO 2 production (1.04 and 6.29%). Figs.1 and 2: Fruit firmness (Ib/inch 2 ) of plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons. Figs. 3 and 4: CO 2 production (%) of plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons. On the other side, O 2 concentration decreased gradually and significantly reached the lowest value after 30 days of the storage period followed by ripping at 20 C (Figs.5 and 6). Plum fruits treated with the highest concentration of putrescine treatment (2.0 mm) recorded the highest O 2 concentration at storage (20.7%) and ripe (18.18%) stages than the lower concentration (0.5 mm) and untreated fruits. On contrast, the lowest O 2 concentration was obtained by untreated fruits (control) which recorded 19.05 and 17.05% at storage and ripe, respectively in both seasons of the study. Exogenous polyamine can reduce respiration rate of plum fruit during storage as reported by Perez-Vicente et al. (2002). Our result agrees with the previous studies which recorded that the exogenous polyamines and ultrasound treatments decreased respiration rate of plum (Chen and Zhu, 2011).

1139 Soluble solids content (%): Fruit sugars are the main components of the soluble solids content, accounting for 65 80% of them (Brady, 1993).The main sugars found in fresh plums are glucose, fructose and sucrose, although sorbitol (a sugar alcohol) is also presented (Meredith, et al., 1992). Soluble solids content of plum fruits cv. Hollywood 'was increased with the advancement of storage period in all putrescine treatments until 21days then decreased at the end of cold storage at 0 C or after 7 days at 20 C. (Figs.7 and 8). During the entire storage period, the highest SSC content was recorded in the fruits treated with 2.0 mm putrescine at storage (11.14%) and after ripe stage (11.62%) followed by 1.5 mm (10.91 and 11.48%),1.0 mm (10.78 and 11.28%), and 0.5 mm (10.59 and 11.25%). Meanwhile, untreated fruit (control) recorded the lowest level of SSC content during the storage and ripe (9.98 and 11.10%) stages, respectively compared with the treated fruits with different concentrations of putrescine at both seasons of the study. These results are in accordance with the finding by Khan et al. (2008) Khosroshahi and Ashari (2008) and Bal (2012) who reported that putrescine treated fruits and stored at low temperatures exhibited higher soluble solid content than the untreated fruits. Figs. 5 and 6: O 2 uptake (%) of plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons. Figs. 7 and 8: Soluble solids content (%) of plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons. Fruit acidity (%): Fruit acidity is another important factor affecting consumer acceptance, the main acid present in plum is malic acid (Crisosto et al., 2004). The results showed that titratable acidity content was decreased significantly during the storage period at 0 C and after 7 th day ripe at 20 C as the means of the two seasons (Figs. 9 and 10). Among the studied treatments, 2 mm putrescine treatment had the lowest amount of titratable acidity (1.11 and 0.93 %) followed by1.5 mm (1.1 and 0.98%), 1.0 mm (1.24 and 1.07%), then 0.5 mm (1.27 and 1.16%) compared with the untreated fruits (control) which had the highest titratable acidity content (1.28 and 1.19%). This result are in agreement with Zokaee et al. (2007) who reported that the putrescine treatment showed significantly lower decreases in content of titratable acidity than the control treatment during the storage. Zokaee et al. (2007) and Ishaq et al. (2009) suggested that the titratable acidity decreases could be due to consumption of organic acids in

1140 fruits during respiration. Moreover, Ghasemnezhad et al. (2010) showed that titratable acidity content was decreased significantly during storage at 4 C for putrescine treatments. Figs. 9 and 10: Fruit acidity (%) of plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons. Total anthocyanins (mg/100g f. w.): Anthocyanins represent a group of widespread natural phenolic compounds in plants, and are responsible for their colors (Mazza and Miniati, 1993). Plum fruit color is associated with the accumulation of carotenoids and anthocyanins. Both groups of pigments are more abundant in the peel but anthocyanins are mainly responsible for the surface color of the fruit. All concentrations of putrescine decreased significantly the total anthocyanins of fruit skin with the progress of storage period at 0 C and after the 7 th day of ripe at 20 C during the two seasons (Figs. 11and 12). Plum fruits treated with 2.0 mm putrescine recorded the highest amount of anthocyanins at the storage and ripe stages (15.48 and 13.74 mg/100g f.w.), respectively, comparing with untreated fruits (control) which revealed the least amount (5.48 and 4.23). On the other side, the total anthocyanins of plum pulp fruits appeared the same trend at storage and ripe stages under putrescine treatments (Figs. 13 and 14). Aghamohammadi et al. (2014) reported that the levels of anthocyanins content under putrescine treatment were decreased significantly and no significant differences were observed between different putrescine concentrations on strawberry, cv. Gaviota. On the other side, Hudec et al. (2006) showed inverse relationship between total free polyamine levels and the levels of total anthocyanins and phenolic compounds. Figs. 11 and 12: Total anthocyanins content (TAC) of skin plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons.

1141 Figs. 13 and 14: Total anthocyanins content (TAC) of pulp plum fruit Hollywood as affected by postharvest application of putrescine after storage period at 0ºC (A) then for 7 days ripening at 20ºC (B). The results as an average of two seasons. Fruit color: There were significant differences in fruit color parameters L*, C* and H 0 during the storage period at 0 C and after the 7 th day of ripe at 20 C as means of the two seasons. Lightness (L*) of skin plum fruit cv. Hollywood showed a slight and significant increase with increasing the storage periods due to different putrescine treatments (Table 2). Meanwhile, lightness (L*) of plum fruit pulp showed the opposite trend. Fruits treated with 2 mm putrescine showed the highest lightness of skin (49.59) followed by 1.5 mm (43.58), 1.0 mm (41.3) and.05 mm (39.00) compared with untreated fruit (control) which revealed the least significant value of lightness (38.23). On the other side, fruit skin color (C*) showed a slight and significant increase during the storage period at 0 C until 3 ed week then decreased with all putrescine treatments (Table 3). After ripening Chroma (C*) was increased for 2 weeks then decreased significantly until the end of ripe stage. The 2 mm putrescine treatment recorded the highest value (25.63) of Chroma (C*) followed by 1.5 mm (24.56),1.0 mm (22.45) and 0.5mM (20.82) compared with the untreated fruits which recorded the least value(20.2). Color of hue angle (H 0 ) showed a slight and significant increase in the peel of Hollywood plum fruits, with increasing the storage period at 0 C (Table 4). While, after 7 th day of ripe at 20 C, it was decreased gradually during the two seasons (Table 4). Fruits treated with 2.0 mm putrescine showed the highest value (66.94) hue angle (H 0 ) compared with the control fruits, which revealed the least significant value at the same date (18.84). The obtained results are in agreement with Khan and Singh (1987) who reported that the putrescine applications delayed the change in Chroma value and hue angle during fruit ripening. In addition, Malik et al. (2006) found that both pre and postharvest putrescine applications retarded fruit color development. Table 2: Skin and pulp color lightness (L*) of plum fruits Hollywood affected by postharvest applications of putrescine after storage periods at 0 C and ripening at 20ºC for 7 days (the results as an average of two seasons). Putrescine treatments Fruit peel Fruit flesh Lightness (L*) 0.5 mm 1.0 mm 1.5 mm 2.0 mm Control Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe 1 34.7 cde 33.03 efg 34.96 cde 32.56 efg 35.47 cde 34.1 def 35.05 cde 37.02 bcd 34.06 def 35.38 cde 2 36.36 cde 32.98 efg 38.81 bcd 32.77 efg 38.48 bcd 32.52 efg 41.67 bc 36.89 bcd 35.95 cde 33.95 def 3 39 bcd 31.85 fgh 41.3 bc 31.22 gh 43.58 ab 31.43 gh 49.59 a 31.72 gh 38.23 bcd 29.84 h 4 31.56 ef 35.69 cde 33.43 def 38.64 abc 35.49 cde 41.3 a 37.2 bcd 40.35 a 29.68 f 30..4 h 1 32.1 c-f 34.1abc 32.8 b-e 34.13 abc 33.57 b-e 37.34 ab 36.64 a-d 38.1 a 30.95 def 30.92 cde 2 32.1 c-f 33.22 bcd 33.3 b-e 33.88 abc 36.78 abc 34.44 abc 37.21 abc 35.68 abc 31.05 def 30.54 def 3 39.31 a 29.66 def 40.23 a 31.82 cde 41.21 a 31.84 cde 41.12 a 32.71 bcd 38 a 28.14 fg 4 30.88 ef 28.43 efg 31.25 cde 29.34 f 31.72 c-f 30.71 def 35.63 a-d 30.27 def 29.99 ef 27.38 g

1142 Table 3: Skin and pulp color Chroma (C*) of plum fruit Hollywood affected by postharvest applications of putrescine after storage periods at 0 C and ripening at 20ºCfor 7 days (the results as an average of two seasons). Putrescine treatments Fruit flesh Fruit peel Chroma (C*) 0.5 mm 1.0 mm 1.5 mm 2.0 mm Control Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe 1 9.66 cde 16.35 bc 12.52 b-e 18.43 bc 14.17 b-e 18.69 bc 15.02 b-e 18.93 bc 8.46 de 16.17 bc 2 17.09 a-d 23.5 abc 18.97 abc 28.84 abc 18.94 abc 33.08 ab 20.37 ab 39.10 a 10.26 cde 21.44 abc 3 20.82 ab 23.07 abc 22.45 abc 25.83 abc 24.56 a 26.53 abc 25.63 a 27.97 abc 20.20 ab 14.83 bc 4 7.33 e 14.28 c 7.65 e 14.63 bc 7.68 e 17.18 bc 12.13 b-e 18.36 bc 7.11 e 14.25 c 1 19.73 bcd 17.12 a-e 20.3 bc 17.22 a-e 22.66 b 18.7 a-d 33.35 a 18.77 a-d 19.05 b-f 16.67 a-e 2 15.4 c-f 21.06 ab 15.95 b-f 22.48 ab 16.95 b-f 23.95 a 21.55 bc 25.44 a 11.2 fg 20.65 abc 3 10.41 fg 11.4 cde 11.48 fg 13.43 b-e 11.64 fg 18.17 a-d 14.35 c-f 20.67 abc 9.90 fg 10.37 de 4 10.0 fg 7.91 e 12.44 efg 8.97 de 13.08 d-g 9.26 de 14.50 c-f 18.30 a-d 6.19 g 7.20 e Table 4: Skin and pulp color Hue angle (H 0 ) of plum fruit Hollywood affected by postharvest applications of putrescine after storage periods at 0 C and ripening at 20ºCfor 7 days (the results as an average of two seasons). Putrescine treatments Fruit peel Fruit flesh Hue angle (H 0 ) 0.5 mm 1.0 mm 1.5 mm 2.0 mm Control Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe Storage Ripe 1 26.06 bc 30.34 bc 34.2 ab 31.53 bc 34.84 ab 33.48 bc 36.1 ab 35.13 bc 12.03 d 25.06 bc 2 37.98 ab 22.52 c 40.44 ab 22.39 c 43.7 ab 26.95 bc 44.34 ab 28.95 bc 12.99 d 18.91 c 3 44.04 ab 20.32 c 51.45 ab 20.46 c 53.38 ab 25.57 bc 66.94 a 25.8 bc 18.84 c 18.7 c 4 30.08 ab 14.59 cd 48.86 ab 19.65 c 50.34 ab 20.27 c 65 a 22.05 c 12.68 d 13.11 d 1 12.56 d 25.99 ab 15.45 d 27.25 ab 16.08 d 32.96 ab 16.5 d 40.09 a 12.54 d 23.07 ab 2 17.37 d 22.49 ab 19.29 bcd 22.99 ab 20.95 a-d 22.41 ab 20.48 a-d 30.49 ab 14.9 d 19.58 b 3 20.62 a-d 19.49 b 21.17 a-d 21.99 ab 23.23 a-d 21.87 ab 32.29 a-d 22.34 ab 18.5 cd 17.77 d 4 45.27 abc 15.45 d 46.36 ab 16.36 d 47.24 a 19.28 b 47.24 a 22.07 ab 39.53 a-d 14.22 d References Abu-Kpawoh, J.C., Y.F. Xi, Y.Z. Zhangand Y.F. Jin, 2002. Polyamine accumulation following hot-water dips influences chilling injury and decay in 'Friar' plum fruit. J. Food Sci., 67:2649-2653. Aghamohammadi, S., M. Ghotbeh, V. Aghamohammadi and A. Mohammadian, 2014. Influence of exogenous putrescine on total phenolic content and antioxidant activities in strawberry cv. Gaviota. Vitae, 21(1):315-324. A.O.A.C., 1990. Official methods of analysis Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Washington, DC, USA. Bal, E., 2012. Effect of postharvest putrescine and salicylic acid treatments on cold storage duration and quality of sweet cherries. J. of the Faculty of Agriculture, 7:23-31. Brady, J.C., 1993. Stone fruit. In: Seymour G, Taylor J, Tucker G, editors. Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening.Chapman and Hall, London, p. 379 404. Bregoli, A.M., S. Scaramagli, G. Costa, E. Sabatini, V. Ziosi, S. Biondi and P. Torrigiani, 2002. Peach (Prunus persica L.) fruit ripening: amino ethoxyvinyl glycine (AVG) and exogenous polyamines affect ethylene emission and flesh firmness. Physiol. Plant, 114:472-481. Chen, Z. and C. Zhu, 2011. Combined effects of aqueous chlorine dioxide and ultrasonic treatments on postharvest storage quality of plum fruit (Prunus salicina L.). Postharvest Biol.Technol., 61:117-123. Crisosto, C.H., D. Garner, G.M. Crisosto and E. Bowerman, 2004. Increasing Black amber plum (Prunus salicina L.) consumer acceptance. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 34:237 244. De Ancos, B., E. Gonzalez and M. P. Cano, 1999. Differentiation of raspberry varieties according to anthocyanin composition. J. Food Res. Technol., 208: 33 38. Eshel, D., R. Regev, J. Orenstein, S. Droby and S. Gan-Mor, 2009. Combining physical, chemical and biological methods for synergistic control of postharvest diseases: A case study of Black Root Rot of carrot. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 54:48-52. Fuleki, T. and F.J. Francis, 1968. Quantitative methods for anthocyanins I. Extraction and determination of total anthocyanin in cranberries. J. Food Sci., 33:72-77. Ghasemnezhad, M., M. A. Shiri and M. Sanavi, 2010. Effect of chitosan coatings on some quality indices of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) during cold storage. Caspian J. Env. Sci., 8(1):25-33.

1143 Guerra, M. and P.A. Casquero, 2008. Effect of harvest date on cold storage and postharvest quality of plum cv.green Gage. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 47(3):325-332. Hudec, J., D. Bakos, D. Mrarec, U. Kobida, M. Bur Dova, I. Turianica and J. Hlusek, 2006. Content of phenolic compounds and free polyamines in black chokeberry (Aronia melano Carpa) after application of polyamine biosynthesis regulators. J. Agric. Food Chem., 54: 3625-3628. Ishaq, S., H.A. Rathore, S. Majeed, S. Awan and S. Zulfiqar-Ali-Shah, 2009. The studies on the physico- chemical and organoleptic characteristics of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) produced in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir during storage. Pakistan J. Nutr., 8(6):856-860. Jad, G. D., M. Zarei, E. Ardakani, M. Ebrahim and N. Abadi, 2013. Influence of putrescine application on storability, postharvest quality and antioxidant activity of two Iranianapricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars. Sci. Biol., 5(2):212-219. Jawandha, S. K., M. S. Gill, N.P. Singh, P. P. S. Gill and N. Singh, 2012. Effect of post-harvest treatments of putrescine on storage of Mango cv. Langra. Afr. J. Agric. Res., 7(48): 6432-6436. Khan, A.S. and Z. Singh, 1987. Pre-harvest application of putrescine influences Japanese plum fruit ripening and quality. Food Sci. Technol. Inter., 7:179 187. Khan, A.S., Z. Singh, N.A. Abbasi and E.E. Swinny, 2008. Pre or post-harvest applications of putrescine and low temperature storage affect fruit ripening and quality of Angelino plum.j. Sci. Food and Agric., 88:1686-1695. Khosroshahi, M. Z., M. E. Ashari and A. Ershadi, 2007. Effect of exogenous putrescine on post-harvest life of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) fruit, cultivar Selva at 5 C was studied. Scientia Horti., 114: 27 32. Khosroshahi, M. R. Z. and E. M. Ashari, 2008. Effect of putrescine application on post-harvest life and physiology of strawberry, apricot, peach and sweet cherry fruits. J. Sci. Tech. Agric. Natur. Resourc., 45:219-230. Kim, D.O., O.K. Chun, Y.J. Kim, H.Y. Moon and C.Y. Lee, 2003. Quantification of polyphenolics and their antioxidant capacity of fresh plums. J. Agric. Food Chem., 51: 6509 6515. Lurie, S. and E. Pesis, 1992. Effect of acetaldehyde and anaerobiosis as postharvest treatment on the quality of peaches and nectarines. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 1: 317-326. Malik, A.U., S.C. Tan and Z. Singh, 2006. Exogenous application of polyamines improves shelf life and fruit quality of mango. Acta Hort., 699:291-296. Martinez-Romero, D., M. Serrano, A. Carbonell, L. Burgos, F. Riquelme and D. Valero, 2002. Effects of postharvest putrescine treatment on extending shelf life and reducing mechanical damage in apricot. J. Food Sci., 67(5):1706-1712. Martinez-Romero, D., E. Dupille, F. Guillen, J.M. Valverde, M. Serrano and D. Valero, 2003. Methylcyclopropene increases storability and shelf life in climacteric and nonclimacteric plums. J. Agric. Food Chem., 51:4680-4686. Mazza, G., and E. Miniati, 1993. Anthocyanins in fruits, vegetables, and grains. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.362 p. McGuire, R. G., 1992. Reporting of objective color measurements. Hort. Sci., 27:1254 1255. Meredith, F.I., S.D. Senter, W.R. Forbus, J.A. Robertson and W.R. Okie, 1992. Postharvest quality and sensory attributes of Byron Gold and Ruby sweet plums. J. Food Quality, 15:199 209. Pandey, S., S.A. Ranade, P.K. Nagar and N. Kumar, 2000. Role of polyamines and ethylene as modulators of plant senescence. J. Biol. Sci., 25: 291-299. Perez-Vicente, A., D. Martínez-Romero, A. Carbonell, M. Serrano, F. Riquelme and F. Guillen, 2002. Role of polyamines in extending shelf life and the reduction of mechanical damage during plum (Prunus salicina L.) storage. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 25: 25 32. Pesis, E. and R. Ben-Arie, 1984. Involvement of acetaldehyde and ethanol accumulation during induced deastringency of persimmon fruits. J. Food Sci., 49: 896-899. Serrano, M., M.C. Martinez-Madrid, G. Martinez, F. Riquelme, M.T. Pretel and F. Romojaro, 1996. Review: Role of polyamines in chilling injury of fruit and vegetables. Food Sci., Technol. Int., 2: 195-199. Serrano, M., D. Martinez-Romero, F. Guillen and D. Valero, 2003. Effect of exogenous putrescine on improving shelf life of four plum cultivars. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 30:259-271. Steel, R. G. D. and Torrie, J. H., 1980. Principles and Procedures of Statistics, Second Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill. Torrigiani, P., A.M. Bregoli, V. Ziosi, S. Scaramagli, T. Ciriaci and A. Rasori, 2004. Pre-harvest polyamine and amino ethoxyvinyl glycine (AVG) applications modulate fruit ripening in Stark Red Gold nectarines (Prunus persica L. Batsch).Postharvest Biol. Technol., 33:293-308.

1144 Valero, D., A. Perez-Vicente;D. Martinez-Romero, S. Castillo, G. Guillen and M. Serrano, 2002. Plum storability improved after calcium and heat postharvest treatments: Role of polyamines. J. Food Sci., 67:2571-2575. Zokaee- Khosroshahi M.R., M. Esna-Ashari and A. Ershadi, 2007. Effect of exogenous putrescine on post- harvest li f e of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) fruit, cultivar Selva. Hort. Sci., 114:27-32.