Repeated low oxygen stress on dynamic controlled atmosphere storage of ‘Elstar’ and ‘Nicoter’ apples

The aim was to evaluate the effect of repeated low oxygen (RLO) stresses under DCA-RQ storage compared to ULO-CA-storage. ‘Elstar’ and ‘Nicoter’ apples were stored for 6 months at a fixed RQ of 1.3 and at 1 and 3°C. The RLO stresses were induced twice a week by allowing the fruit to uptake the O₂ inside the experimental chamber during 14 h of closure to determine the RQ. DCA-RQ reduced respiration rate and ethylene production in both cultivars compared to ULO. Interestingly, DCA-RQ without RLO resulted in a lower respiration rate in ‘Nicoter’ apples, while no differences were observed in ‘Elstar’. For both cultivars, storage under either DCA technologies improved the conservation of key quality defining parameters and fruit health compared to ULO-CA, with differences more pronounced for ‘Nicoter’. DCA-RQ reduced the core browning incidence especially in ‘Nicoter’ apple in comparison to CA. However, for ‘Nicoter’ apples, in DCA storage, decay and cavities incidence was higher than ‘Elstar’ apples, especially in DCA with RLO. DCA-RQ with RLO was found in ‘Elstar’ to be beneficial to maintain higher firmness, amount of healthy fruit, and greener peel color.
The cultivars were thus found to have different tolerances to low oxygen stress

VII International Conference Postharvest Unlimited

D.A. Neuwald, F.R. Thewes, F. Büchele, C.A. Steffens, K. Khera, V. Both, B. Pansera-Espíndola, A. Brackmann

Malus domestica Borkh, DCA-RQ, respiratory quotient, Kanzi

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1396.33