Articles
Characterization of ‘Valencia’ orange peel maturation: effect of water stress and growth regulators
Article number
1150_51
Pages
355 – 362
Language
English
Abstract
This study was designed to understand the role of peel maturation in citrus as it relates to fruit postharvest handling and keeping quality.
Currently, citrus is harvested based on internal quality (edibility). Peel changes have not been related to best harvest time.
Several physical parameters and chemical parameters were measured at several harvest dates over the season to determine if peel maturation and senescence can be monitored by some combination of factors in order to minimize fruit disorders resulting from immature or senescent peel or unusual stress levels that the peel may have been subjected to.
Water stress and growth regulators were applied to induce differences in maturity (advance or delay, respectively) to see if any peel physical or biochemical measurements showed corresponding changes in amount or rate to indicate peel development stage (immature, mature, or senescent), so that they could be used as indicators for a peel senescence index to minimize fruit disorders resulting from immature or senescent peel.
Postharvest-related variables (weight loss, decay and chilling injury) showed significant correlation relationships with some physical and chemical characteristics of the fruit.
Results indicated that fruit could be harvested within mid-season period with good juice quality and less senescent peel.
Days from full bloom (DFB), firmness, fruit detachment force (FDF), and color may be easy and quick potential indices to predict the level of peel maturation with some caution due to accuracy issues as they are environmentally affected variables.
Growth regulators showed more effects than water stress on maturity indices.
The lowest postharvest problems from mid-season harvest, ‘suggested’ harvest period started in March at 357 DFB, 9.71 kg firmness and 9.4 kg FDF, and ended by late April (412 DFB) for 21°C storage, and by late May (443 DFB) for 4.5°C storage, at 7.85 kg firmness and 9.5 kg FDF.
Currently, citrus is harvested based on internal quality (edibility). Peel changes have not been related to best harvest time.
Several physical parameters and chemical parameters were measured at several harvest dates over the season to determine if peel maturation and senescence can be monitored by some combination of factors in order to minimize fruit disorders resulting from immature or senescent peel or unusual stress levels that the peel may have been subjected to.
Water stress and growth regulators were applied to induce differences in maturity (advance or delay, respectively) to see if any peel physical or biochemical measurements showed corresponding changes in amount or rate to indicate peel development stage (immature, mature, or senescent), so that they could be used as indicators for a peel senescence index to minimize fruit disorders resulting from immature or senescent peel.
Postharvest-related variables (weight loss, decay and chilling injury) showed significant correlation relationships with some physical and chemical characteristics of the fruit.
Results indicated that fruit could be harvested within mid-season period with good juice quality and less senescent peel.
Days from full bloom (DFB), firmness, fruit detachment force (FDF), and color may be easy and quick potential indices to predict the level of peel maturation with some caution due to accuracy issues as they are environmentally affected variables.
Growth regulators showed more effects than water stress on maturity indices.
The lowest postharvest problems from mid-season harvest, ‘suggested’ harvest period started in March at 357 DFB, 9.71 kg firmness and 9.4 kg FDF, and ended by late April (412 DFB) for 21°C storage, and by late May (443 DFB) for 4.5°C storage, at 7.85 kg firmness and 9.5 kg FDF.
Authors
S. Alam-Eldein, G. Albrigo, E. Etxeberria, J. Burns, R. Rouseff, A. Tubeileh
Keywords
citrus, peel maturity, senescence index, harvest date, bloom date, principal component analysis, stepwise regression
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