Influence of different origins, CA storage conditions and storage times on internal browning in apple and pear cultivars

Apple and pear fruit are stored for several months under a controlled atmosphere to provide consumers with high-quality fruit the whole year.
Unfortunately, internal browning (IB) regularly develops in the fruit flesh.
In this work, accelerated storage experiments are applied to gain a better insight into the susceptibility to IB of different apple (‘Braeburn’, ‘Jonagold’, ‘Kizuri’) and pear cultivars (‘Conference’, ‘Celina’, ‘Fred’). Fruit were sourced from two to four origins depending on the cultivar, and stored under multiple storage conditions (air (control), 20% CO₂ 5% O₂, 20% CO₂ 1% O₂, 100% N₂) at 3°C and for 2 and 4 weeks (apple) and 1 and 3 weeks (pear). All fruits developed a certain extent of IB under high CO₂ treatment, with lower O₂ levels resulting in more severe browning.
The results also showed that ‘Braeburn’ apple and ‘Celina’ pear are the most prone to IB. Our observations further indicated that the specific cultivar and the applied atmosphere play a major role in the susceptibility to IB. More fruits are affected and have more severe browning with extended storage time, while the origin has only a minor role in IB. Furthermore, ‘Braeburn’ was the only cultivar that developed IB under 100% N₂. The fruit was subjected to high resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography to visualize and explain changes of the microstructure of the fruit with IB.

XXXI International Horticultural Congress (IHC2022): International Symposium on Postharvest Technologies to Reduce Food Losses

A. Tempelaere, L. Van Doorselaer, T. Van De Looverbosch, M. Pieters, J. He, P. Verboven, A. Schenk, B. Nicolaï

postharvest, pome fruit, controlled atmosphere, microstructure, micro-CT

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2023.1364.28