| Summary: | This research was designed to test the combined efficacy of hot water dipping (HWD) and leaf extracts of Cistus creticus L. subsp. creticus on the storage quality of fresh Valencia oranges. Experiments were laid down according to a completely randomised design with 10 different treatments. Five replications, with five fruits in each replication, were used in the current study, and research was designed to continue for 150 days. Quality characteristics were observed with 30-days interval. The applications of this study were (1) Control [dipping in water at 25°C for 5 min]; (2) HWD at 50°C for 5 min; (3) HWD + Additives (A) [Arabic gum (0.2%), potassium sorbate (0.05%), citric acid (0.05%) and vitamin C (0.05%)] at 50°C for 5 min; (4) Additives alone at 25°C for 5 min; (5) 1.0% C. creticus leaf + HWD + A; (6) 1.0% C. creticus leaf + A; (7) 0.5% C. creticus leaf + HWD + A; (8) 0.5% C. creticus leaf + A; (9) 0.5% C. creticus leaf + HWD and (10) 0.5% C. creticus leaf. According to the results obtained, both the HWD and C. creticus, alone or in combination, were effective in preserving orange weight during storage, preventing pathogenic decay, maintaining visual quality and fruit firmness, delaying the reduction in titratable acidity, increasing ascorbic acid content and reducing respiration rate of the orange fruits. Results also suggested that the combined effect of HWD with C. creticus leaf extracts provided the highest efficacy.
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