LAYERED COATINGS TO CONTROL WEIGHT-LOSS AND PRESERVE GLOSS OF CITRUS-FRUIT

Valencia oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck cv. Valencia] and Marsh grapefruit [Citrus paradisi Macf.] were treated with single or double layers of coating. In cases where two coatings were applied, the first coating was a moisture-barrier wax; the second was either polyethylene wax or a mixture of shellac and resin ester. The inner coating reduced weight loss, and the outer coating imparted gloss. Fruit gloss, as measured by reflectometer, decreased more rapidly during 1 week at 20C with a single glossy coating than with the same coating applied as a second layer over a wax-based first coating. For citrus fruit, using resin ester or shellac as a high-gloss second coating tended to overly restrict the exchange of O-2 and CO2; however, two layers of wax did not.