Pre-harvest CaCl₂ foliar application enhances peach quality during cold storage: Insights from response surface...

Peaches (Prunus persica L.) are highly perishable, and cold storage often causes quality loss, color changes, and ascorbic acid degradation. This study evaluated the effects of pre-harvest foliar CaCl₂ application (0-3%) on the quality of 'Zafarani' peaches during cold storage for 40 days at 1 ± 1 °C and 90 ± 5% RH. CaCl₂ reduced ethylene production and helped maintain fruit quality during cold storage. Response surface methodology (RSM) showed significant effects of CaCl₂ concentration and storage duration on fruit color, acidity, ascorbic acid content, and physiological stability. Pareto analysis indicated calcium as the main factor affecting skin brightness (L^⁎). The RSM-derived optimal storage strategy (1.96% CaCl₂ for 34.8 days) predicted 0.87% acidity and 27.31 μmol kg^-1 h^-1 ethylene production, whereas 2.21% CaCl₂ maximized ascorbic acid (4.20 μg g^-1). The validation error was <2.78%. Pre-harvest CaCl₂ application effectively preserved selected fruit quality attributes during cold storage.