Effect of Chitosan on the Quality of Rose Apples (Syzygium Agueum Alston) cv. Tabtim Chan Stored at an Ambient Temperature

Rose apples (Syzygium agueum Alston) cv. Tabtim Chan are economically important fruit for Thailand. However, because the peel of the rose apple is thin, the fruit deteriorates quickly and water retention is low. This study investigated the effect of chitosan treatment on the quality of rose apples cv. Tabtim Chan stored at an ambient temperature of 30 °C. The results demonstrated that at day 5 of storage, the fruit coated with 2% chitosan had a weight loss of 12.82% and a disease incidence of 14% which were significantly less than those of the control (22.12%, 24% respectively). Fruit firmness of the rose apples treated with 2% chitosan was significantly higher than that of the control (5.92 kg/cm2 and 4.12 kg/cm2 respectively). In conclusion, treating the rose apples with 2% chitosan reduces weight loss, disease incidence and maintains the fruit firmness of rose apples cv. Tabtim Chan compared with those which were untreated.