A STUDY ON TECHNIQUES OF PRESERVING FRESH WITH RETAINED LEAVES OF POSTHARVEST TANGEKINE(GIFRUS RETICULATA VAR. TANGERINA TAN.)

Tangerine (Citras reticutata var.tanoerina Tan.)is a lind of wounderful fruit as edibles, gift and ornament during the Spring Festival in China. It will satisfy the needs of the festival and export if the fruits Are retained with leaves and preserved fresh. It has been proved in this experiment that the fruits can be preserved fresh and retained leaves for 48 days after soaked with the No. 1 mixed fruit preserving agent. The fruits with leaves loaded in bamboo basket in batches and transported 160 km. Still retained their leaves 65-88% for 12 days, and weight loss being 1.19% only. These fruit still looked plump, lustrous, and in good color with green leaves.Sale trails were sought after by customers. The commercialized experiment should be carried out on a large scale in the near future. Experiment with labelled compounds of 32p-NaHPO4, 3H-glucose, 3H-H3O and 14C-2,4-D indicated that the action of exogenous hormone and moisture is the key factor on preserving fresh and retaining leaves of tangerine. Routine analysis carried Out in the preserved fruit revealed that no evident loss of nutrients occurred. The residue of chemicals had been checked by gas chromatography, and the content of batistin was within the limits of international standard, with the exception of one sample treated with 50 Or 200 ppm of 2,4-D, of with showed a little higher than the international standard; but all other samples were lower than the international standard. So it is safe for edibleness.