Effect of Calcium Chloride Concentration on Some Mechanical Properties of Apple during Storage

Abstract

Today, the use of coatings is common to maintain the quality of fruits in storage period. Previous studies have shown that the calcium compounds can improve and preserve the strength of fruit’s cell wall. In this research, the effect of calcium chloride dehydrate (CaCl2*2H2O) concentration on two varieties of apple (Golden Delicious and Red Delicious), was studied. The apples were immersed in the calcium chloride dihydrate solution and then transferred to a cold storage. The effect of three concentration levels: 0, 3 and 6 percent, and three storage durations: no storage, one month and two months, were investigated on the apples mechanical properties such as failure stress, failure strain, modulus of elasticity and toughness. Statistical factorial experiments in the form of completely randomized design were used to analyze the obtained results. The ANOVA results showed that the effect of calcium chloride concentration was significant on the modulus of elasticity (