Influence of salicylic acid and storage durations on sensory evaluation of sweet orange cv. blood red

Citrus is a perishable commodity and is one of the most important fruit of Pakistan after apple. Losses occur during storage either due to disease attack or any other problem. Salicylic acid is one of the antioxidant which is responsible for minimizing the disease attack in many fruits. Hence the present study was designed to investigate "Influence of salicylic acid (SA) and storage durations on sensory evaluation of sweet orange Cv Blood Red". The experiment was performed at Post Harvest Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar during 2013. The experiment was laid out using Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three repeats. Sweet orange fruit Cv. Blood Red were treated with different concentration of salicylic acid (O (control), 1, 2, and 3 mML-1), stored at room temperature for about 60 days, at 15 days of intervals. The experimental results showed that the salicylic acid concentration and storage durations significantly influenced all the sensory attributes. The Salicylic Acid concentration at the rate of 2 mML-1 significantly retained Taste (4.08) and Aroma (6.07), while 3 mM SA L-1 showed highest appearance (6.20) and texture (6.20). Sweet orange fruits stored for more than 30 days showed decrease in taste (4.33), aroma (5.83), texture (5.17), and appearance (6.25). It is concluded from the present study that salicylic acid at the rate of 2 and 3mML-1 significantly retained the sensory attributes of sweet orange upto 30 days which is acceptable for consumer use of Peshawar valley.