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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Harvest quality and postharvest preservation of melon fruits by the effect of agronomic biofortification with iodine compounds and complexes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.8032
Submitted
2 March 2025
Published
11-09-2025
Versions

Abstract

Agronomic biofortification, particularly with iodine, enriches crops with essential nutrients, addressing nutritional deficiencies. This enhances plant resilience, increasing disease resistance and yield. Consuming iodine-biofortified foods helps prevent diseases such as thyroid disorders and developmental issues. In this study, we evaluated freshly harvested and postharvest fruit quality to determine the effect of biofortification with chitosan, iodine salts (KI and KIO3) and chitosan-iodine complexes (CS KI and CS KIO3) at concentrations of 5 and 25 mg (iodine ion) on Syngenta ‘Sweet Sunrise’ hybrid melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars. Physicochemical parameters, such as weight, equatorial diameter and flesh firmness, were assessed in freshly harvested fruit. During postharvest storage at 25 °C for 5, 10 and 15 days, weight loss, flesh firmness, peel and flesh color (L, a*, b*, chroma, °hue), pH, total soluble solids (°Brix), titratable acidity and TSS/TA ratio were measured. Chitosan and iodine salts did not significantly affect weight loss or equatorial diameter. However, KIO3 had a notable effect on melon properties, enhancing peel and flesh coloration, increasing pH and improving total soluble solids. These findings suggest that chitosan and iodine salts act as natural preservatives, maintaining postharvest quality and enhancing the sweetness and flavor of fruits, making them promising alternatives for extending shelf life and improving melon quality. Among the treatments, CS + KIO₃ at 25 mg was the most effective in preserving postharvest quality and is recommended as the optimal strategy for biofortification in melon.

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