Articles
Pre-cooling application before cold storage delayed ripening and maintained high antioxidant activity of ‘Sonata’ sweet cherry
Article number
1161_89
Pages
561 – 568
Language
English
Abstract
Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. ‘Sonata’) fruits were harvested at commercial ripening and transferred immediately at laboratory.
Fruits were selected for the following treatments: control (cold storage) and pre-cooling (air pre-cooling and cold storage). After that fruits were stored at 2°C for 4, 8 and 12 days plus an additional period of 2 days at 20°C. Evaluation of quality parameters (weight loss, total soluble solids, acidity, firmness, and colour) revealed that control cherries showed acceleration on the changes of these parameters while in those pre-cooled fruits retardation was observed.
In addition, accumulation of total phenolics, total anthocyanins and total carotenoids was also delayed over storage, although final concentrations were always higher in pre-cooled than in control cherries.
In conclusion, the application of pre-cooling treatment before cold storage could be a good tool to retard the postharvest ripening process of sweet cherry and in turn to extend the storability of this perishable fruit.
Interestingly, at the end of storage pre-cooled cherries showed higher antioxidant activity, in both hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions, than control fruits, showing higher health-beneficial effects for consumers.
Fruits were selected for the following treatments: control (cold storage) and pre-cooling (air pre-cooling and cold storage). After that fruits were stored at 2°C for 4, 8 and 12 days plus an additional period of 2 days at 20°C. Evaluation of quality parameters (weight loss, total soluble solids, acidity, firmness, and colour) revealed that control cherries showed acceleration on the changes of these parameters while in those pre-cooled fruits retardation was observed.
In addition, accumulation of total phenolics, total anthocyanins and total carotenoids was also delayed over storage, although final concentrations were always higher in pre-cooled than in control cherries.
In conclusion, the application of pre-cooling treatment before cold storage could be a good tool to retard the postharvest ripening process of sweet cherry and in turn to extend the storability of this perishable fruit.
Interestingly, at the end of storage pre-cooled cherries showed higher antioxidant activity, in both hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions, than control fruits, showing higher health-beneficial effects for consumers.
Publication
Authors
H.M. Díaz-Mula, J.M. Valverde, D. Martínez-Romero, P.J. Zapata, S. Castillo, M. Serrano
Keywords
cherry quality, bioactive compounds, pre-cooling treatment, postharvest storage
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