ABSTRACT
The development of physiological and pathological disorders during cold chain and storage has an enormous effect on shelf-life of fruits. Increased weight loss as well as the loss of firmness also reduce the shelf-life and overall quality of fruits. Chemicals are commonly used as postharvest phytosanitary treatment in the fruit industry. However, recent research has highlighted the influence of chemical treatments on physiological and physicochemical quality attributes. This chapter presents a comprehensive review on the effect of chemical treatments on enhancing the shelf-life of fruits. Fruits treated with chemicals have shown resistance to microbial growth and decay. Retention of physicochemical quality attributes, such as firmness and color, has also been reported in fruits treated with chemicals. Also, the use of chemical treatments has been closely linked to lower incidences of 266physiological disorders including bitter pit and internal browning. Although chemical treatments retain postharvest quality and enhance the overall shelf-life of fruits, but there are still some areas that warrant further research. For instance, while chemicals control some physiological disorders, attempts should be made to explain the mechanism of action against such disorders. Health concerns have been raised regarding the use of synthetic chemicals on food stuff; there is a need to adopt more environmentally friendly chemicals for enhancing shelf-life of fruits.
