Abstract: Purposes: Post-harvest Huangguan pears were used to investigate the changes and effects of different coating treatment on antioxidant activity during storage. Methods: Huangguan pears were soaked with CaCl2 or coated with pullulan. The contents of total phenolic, total flavonoid and vitamin C in different parts of a fruit, and the activities of SOD, POD and CAT and DPPH radical scavenging ability were measured during storage. Results: Both treatments could significantly restrain the decline of vitamin C, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, and SOD and CAT activities. The activity of POD was significantly inhibited during storage (P ＜0.05). Moreover, the various antioxidant indexes of the peel were much higher than those of the pulp. Conclusion: Coating treatments can improve antioxidant activities in pear fruits and protect antioxidant components and fruit quality during circulation by significantly inhibiting the loss of antioxidant components and the decline of antioxidant enzymes.

Key words: pear, storage, antioxidant ability, coating treatment