Effect of Storage on Quality of ‘Hicaznar’ Pomegranate Variety Cultivated in Adıyaman Province (Turkey)

Preserving quality of pomegranate during storage period has become important for rapidly growing pomegranate cultivation in adıyaman province (turkey). this study was conducted on recently established pomegranate cultivar cv. hicaznar that had been orchards between 2009 and 2011. fruits harvested from regions where pomegranate is produced intensively in adıyaman. they were stored for 4 months in ma packages under 6°c and 90-95% rh. after storage average weight loss of pomegranate fruits was determined as 9,1% and decay development was 15,8%. during storage, red peel colour increased partially whereas changes in aril colour were limited. pomegranate juice 510 and 446 nm absorbance and titratable acidity values were decreased while maturity index were increased at the end of the storage. in the second year of the study, total soluble solid content and ph values decreased significantly during storage. however, in the first year there were no statistically differences on these values. total phenolic content and antioxidant activity did not changed at the end of the storage and average values were found as follows, 102,9 mg gae/100 ml and 18,16 μmol te/ml, respectively. results showed that 'hicaznar' pomegranate cultivated in adıyaman province can be stored successfully for 4 months with careful harvest and postharvest applications, pre-cooling, using proper ma packages and appropriate storage conditions.