Influence of Hot Water Treatments on the Storage Life of Sweet Orange Cv. Sherkhana-I

The experiment “Influence of hot water treatments on the storage life of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) cv. Sherkhana-I” was carried out at Post harvest Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. The research was conducted in completely randomized design (CRD) with two factors i.e. hot water dipping times (0, 5, 10, and 15 Minutes) and storage durations (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 Days). Hot water dipping times significantly affected the quality parameters of Sherkhana-I sweet orange fruits. The fruits of sweet orange having hot water dipping time of 15 minutes showed the maximum fruit juice content (51.07%), volume (141.94 ml), firmness (2.41 Kg.cm-2), acidity (1.50%) and ascorbic acid (34.50%). The storage durations also had significant effects on the quality attributes of sweet orange. However the maximum fruit volume (160.25 ml), juice content (57.00%), firmness (2.89 kg cm-2), ascorbic acid (40.96%) and acidity (1.64%) were noted in fresh fruits. The HWDT of 15 minutes was found to be the most suitable treatment for preserving the postharvest quality of sweet orange. From the above findings, it can be concluded that hot water treated (Hot water temperature: 45 °C) sweet orange fruits can be stored commercially up to 60 days at room storage conditions (Storage Temperature: 12 ± 2 °C and RH: 70 - 80%). HWT can serve as a dynamic means of maintaining the postharvest quality of sweet orange fruits during long term storage with economic benefits.