Control of Rotting and Browning of Longan Fruit cv. Biew Kiew after Harvested by Sulphur Dioxide Treatment under Various Storage Temperatures

The experiment of Longan fruit cv. Biew Kiew, untreated (control) and treated with SO2 treatment were stored under 2 +/- 2 and 7 +/- 2 degrees C for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks were studied. The treatment of fresh longan fruit with SO2 fumigation combined with the suitable storage condition improved the overall longan fruit quality, especially on inner and outer peel tissue and aril color than no SO2 treatment. Treatment stabilizes peel color with no subsequent loss of color during storage (fruit color were bright-yellowish color). When the fruit showed during SO2 treatment, increasing of storage duration and temperatures, the dark color of inner and outer peel of longan fruit was appeared, this was correlated with the increasing of PPO activity. The activity of PPO enzyme in control fruit (no SO2 treatment) gradually lower than SO2 treatments. Fruit exposed to cool storage temperature (2 degrees C) exhibited a lower PPO enzymatic activity compared to those kept in high storage temperature (7 degrees C). Moreover, PPO enzymatic activity significantly increased over the storage durations The additional SO2 treatment no subsequent loss of weight of longan fruit during storage. However, the sulphite residues could detect immediately after SO2 treatment in all part of longan fruit, especially on aril tissue. The SEM evaluation found that the surface cracking was also impair the physiological function of the cuticle and increasing water permeability, which may cause water soaking at the inner side of the peel. The injured cell would accelerate the oxidation of phenolic substances and the oxidative products resulted in dark color of inner and outer peel.