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Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a highly perishable fruit that undergoes rapid quality deterioration during postharvest storage. This study evaluated the effects of postharvest applications of Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA, 1 mM) and Calcium Chloride (CaCl₂, 2%), applied individually and in combination, on maintaining the quality and biochemical properties of cherries during 21 days of cold storage at 0 ± 1 °C. Key parameters including weight loss, decay rate, soluble solids content (SSC), pH, titratable acidity, respiration rate, phenolic profile, and organic acid composition were monitored. The combined MeJA + CaCl₂ treatment was consistently more effective than individual applications in preserving fruit quality. By day 21, weight loss decreased from 9.37% in the control to 6.34% (~32% improvement) under the combined treatment, while decay incidence dropped from 9.07% to 6.28% (>30% reduction). Respiration rate declined markedly to 4.31 mg CO₂/kg/h, indicating slowed metabolic activity. Biochemical analyses revealed greater retention of gallic acid (↑32%) and malic acid (↑28%), and a notable attenuation of succinic acid loss (↓33%) compared to the control. Phenolic degradation was most severe in the control (e.g., gallic acid: 68.06 mg/100 g; quercetin: 7.49 mg/100 g by day 21), whereas MeJA + CaCl₂ preserved substantially higher levels (gallic acid: 98.70 mg/100 g; quercetin: 10.71 mg/100 g at day 7). Principal Component Analysis (PCA), correlation, and heat map analyses confirmed the synergistic role of MeJA and CaCl₂ in maintaining both physical attributes and biochemical integrity during storage. Overall, the results provide strong evidence that combined postharvest application of MeJA and CaCl₂ effectively delays quality deterioration, preserves bioactive compounds, and extends the commercial shelf life of sweet cherries. This strategy represents a promising, practical, and biotechnologically relevant approach for improving postharvest handling and export quality in the cherry industry.

Author ORCID Identifier

MUHAMMET GÜNDEŞLİ: 0000-0002-7068-8248

DOI

10.55730/1300-011X.3481

Keywords

Sweet cherry, methyl jasmonate, calcium chloride, postharvest quality, biochemical stability

First Page

505

Last Page

520

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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