Effect of Chitosan Coating on the Antioxidant Enzymes and Quality of ´Dashi Early Ripening´ Plums

In order to evaluate the effect of chitosan coating on the antioxidant enzymes and quality of ´Dashi Early Ripening´ plums (Prunus domestica L.) during storage at ambient temperature. The fruit were coated with chitosan solutions after harvest and stored at 25degC. The result showed that the decrease of firmness, soluble solids content and titratable acidity was slowed down by chitosan coating during the storage. The activity of SOD, CAT, PPO in the chitosan coating plum were higher than that in the control, but POD activity in the chitosan coating plum was lower than that in the control. Chitosan coating has the potential to maintain postharvest quality during storage at ambient temperature. The chitosan coating has more effective application in our study, which could not only be due to reducing the respiration rate and inhibiting the softing process, but also to increasing the activity of SOD, CAT, PPO in the fruit.