Effect of Storage Temperature and a Sugar-ester Edible Coating on Postharvest Quality and Storage Life of ‘Fuyu’ Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.)

In ‘Fuyu’ persimmons (Diospyros kaki Thunb.), crunchiness is a preferred postharvest attribute among both distributors and consumers. The present study first examined softening characteristics during storage at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25°C. Fruit stored at 0°C remained firm for 84 d, while that stored at 5°C had a 100% softening rate within 35 d. At 10 and 15°C, over 70% of fruit softened within 49 d and 63 d, respectively. The softening rate was relatively slower at 20 and 25°C, with only 27% softened fruit after 56 d at 25°C. The potential of a newly developed sugar-ester (SE) edible coating to delay fruit softening and maintain postharvest quality was then assessed during storage at 0 and 25°C. Uncoated fruit stored at 0°C for 56 d developed chilling injury (CI) symptoms (rapid fruit softening and peel browning) within 2 d of rewarming at 20°C. These CI symptoms were notably mitigated in SE-coated fruit. At 25°C, SE coating also delayed fruit softening and peel color change in addition to reducing fruit shrinkage. In conclusion, in ‘Fuyu’ persimmons ambient temperature (20–25°C) storage in combination with an edible SE coating is recommended for the high demand Christmas and new year seasons and 0°C storage with an edible SE coating is suitable for longer storage and distribution.