Abstract:

Bleached shellac with different concentrations was used for film-coating preservation of apples during room temperature storage. Results indicated that bleached shellac revealed obvious effects on reduction of respiration intensity, inhibition of water loss and slow decay of fruits. Meanwhile, the quality of fruits was well maintained. The best fresh-keeping effect was observed using 10% bleached shellac. During the storage for 90 days at room temperature, apples coated with 10% bleached shellac exhibited 31.92% and 72.43% of reduction in water loss and decay index, respectively. The hardness, content of soluble solids and titratable acids in apples coated with 10% bleached shellac increased by 12.78%, 19.14%, 31.82%, respectively.

Key words: apple, bleached shellac, coating preservation