Citrus fruit is a subtropical fruit of highly commercial value on the international fruit market.However,injuries sustained by citrus fruit during harvest allow the entry of pathogens,including Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum,which are the causal agents of blue mold and green mold respectively.Traditionally,the two diseases have been successfully controlled by the application of synthetic fungicides.However,a biodegradable film covering the citrus fruit surface based on 1.5%carboxymethyl cellulose containing the ethanol extract of lmpatiens balsamina L.stems(IBS),0.07%citric acid,0.5%sucrose ester,1.0%calcium propionate and 0.5%glycerol,is considered to be a practical alternative to synthetic fungicide application.The physicochemical responses in Xinyu tangerines to CMC enriched with IBS extract have rarely been studied.The addition of IBS extract as antifungal components enhanced the antifungal activity of CMC coating in vitro tests.The complex coating treatment exhibited the best control effect on decay and had a significant reduction in the weight loss,with a significant effect in terms of the titratable acid,total soluble solid and VC content of Xinyu tangerines throughout storage.Meanwhile,the activities of scavenger antioxidant and defense-related enzymes,including superoxide dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POD),catalase(CAT),chitinase(CHI),β-1,3-glucanase(GLU)and phenylalnine ammonialyase(PAL),in fruits treated with complex coating were higher than those in CMC coating and control samples.Our study suggests that the CMC coating combined with IBS extract has the potential to improve the fruits quality and defensive enzymes activities of cold-stored Xinyu tangerines and extend the shelf-life.