Role of Melatonin and Pomegranate Seed Oil in Maintaining the Quality of Mexican Limes during Storage

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Mahbobeh Mohammadi 1
Somayeh Rastegar 1
Abbas Rohani 2
1 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Islamic Republic of Iran.
2 Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Abstract
Mexican limes have a limited shelf life due to color changes and reduced freshness. This study evaluated the effects of Melatonin (ML) and Pomegranate Seed Oil (PSO) on maintaining postharvest quality at 20±2°C and 50-60% relative humidity. The results showed that melatonin at 100 and 200 µM+PSO exhibited the highest overall fruit acceptability. The control group displayed the most weight loss (20.8%), while PSO demonstrated the least (12.5%). With the exception of the PSO treatment, all other treatments exhibited significantly elevated levels of phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants. The PSO and control treatments demonstrated the lowest catalase (69 U mg-1 FW) and peroxidase (53.5 U mg-1 FW) activities, while the highest polyphenol oxidase activity (99.6 U mg-1 FW) was also observed in these groups. The control and PSO treatments also exhibited the highest Total Soluble Solids (TSSs) content (8.2%) and the lowest acidity (8.5%). Overall, most traits exhibited significant differences between the treatment groups and the control, excluding the PSO treatment.



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Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 28, Issue 2
March and April 2026
Pages 429-447