Low temperature conditioning reduces chilling injury incidence in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) pods

Introduction – Immature okra pod possess high respiration activity and low storage temperature is commonly exploited to lowering down the metabolic process. However, the okra is of tropical origin and its susceptibility to chilling injury (CI) causes further problems in postharvest storability. Therefore, �� ��ϐ������� ��� �����������������ȋ���Ȍ on CI was determined in the present study. Materials and methods – The freshly harvested pods were preconditioned at 13 °C for 24 h followed by storage at 4 °C while control pods were kept directly at 4 °C, for 16 d and transferred to 25 °C for 2 h. Results and discussion – The results showed that the LTC treatment suppressed the development of CI effectively whereby no CI was observed for 8 d of storage. Furthermore, LTC reduced seed browning with concomitant low polyphenol oxidase activity. Additionally, LTC inhibited accumulation of O2 – , H2O2 and malondialdehyde ������Ǥ�������ǡ��������������������ϐ��- vonoids content, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, and induced DPPH radical scavenging activity and proline content in pericarp, thus coping with oxidative stress at low temperature. Conclusion – LTC treatment enhances chilling tolerance and maintains the quality of okra pod during low temperature storage