Effects of wax coating applications and storage temperatures on the quality of tangerine citrus (Citrus reticulata) var. Siam Banjar

The objective of this study is to assess the effects of wax coating concentrations and storage temperatures on the quality changes, both physically and nutritionally, of tangerine citrus (Citrus reticulata) var. Siam Banjar. Tangerine citrus var. Siam Banjar were coated with three different concentrations of wax emulsion (10, 12, and 15%) and stored at two different temperatures (5 and 25°C) at 85-90% RH. The observation in respect of the percentage weight loss, percentage decay incidence, fruit quality characteristics (titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and ascorbic acid), and sensory evaluation (colour, texture, odor, freshness, appearance, fruit firmness, taste, and overall acceptability) were recorded and evaluated at intervals of 5 days for 35 days of storage. The results showed that the combination of 12% wax coating and storage at 5°C was the most effective treatment in maintaining the quality of tangerine citrus var. Siam Banjar, which was significantly (p 0.05) indicated by the lowest percentage weight loss (16.88%) and percentage incidence of fruit rot (17.67%). There are no significantly changes (p 0.05) in term of quality attributes of the fruits (titratable acidity, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid), although physio-chemical analysis revealed that this treatment had higher level of titratable acidity (0.53 citric acid/100 ml), lower level of TSS (9°Brix), and the higher level of ascorbic acid (38.2 mg ascorbic acid/100 g) compared to the other treatments. Additionally, the organoleptic evaluation found that the highest score of overall acceptability value was observed in 12 % wax coated fruits stored at 5°C.