Articles
Influence of 1-MCP application timing on the quality and disorder incidences in ‘Xenia’ pear fruit
Article number
1403_36
Pages
273 – 278
Language
English
Abstract
The application of the ethylene action inhibitor 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is an established strategy in the storage of pear fruit, to slow down ripening and improve maintenance of quality-defining parameters.
However, its usage is associated with certain challenges, as the efficacy of 1-MCP can vary between pear cultivars and its application can affect fruit ripening after storage.
Additionally, both application timing and dosage have been shown in previous studies to influence the effects of 1-MCP, even proving detrimental in some instances by inducing the development of disorders and abnormal ripening.
In this study, pears of the cultivar ‘Xenia’ were treated with 1-MCP at different timings immediately after harvest (2, 10, 21, and 56 d in a dosage of 325 nL L‑1) or immediately after storage (325 or 650 nL L‑1). Pears were stored for 9 months at 0°C in regular air (RA) or controlled atmosphere (CA) at 2.0 kPa O2 and 0.7 kPa CO2. Both the storage atmosphere and 1-MCP application strategy were shown to affect the storability of ‘Xenia’ pears. 1-MCP application 10 d after harvest maintained significantly higher fruit firmness, titratable acidity and greener skin coloration after 9 months of storage and a subsequent 7 d shelf-life period at 20°C, than other 1-MCP strategies.
Furthermore, the highest percentage of healthy fruit and lowest incidences of browning and cavity incidences were found in the 10 d 1-MCP treatment.
Pears stored under RA experienced the greatest loss of quality.
Delaying the 1-MCP application until after storage did not prove as a viable strategy to improve s during marketing.
Taken together, the results indicate that applying 1-MCP 10 d after harvest yields the highest fruit quality and health of ‘Xenia’ pears in long-term CA storage, but inhibited the softening of fruit, which can negatively affect the eating quality of ‘Xenia’ pears.
However, its usage is associated with certain challenges, as the efficacy of 1-MCP can vary between pear cultivars and its application can affect fruit ripening after storage.
Additionally, both application timing and dosage have been shown in previous studies to influence the effects of 1-MCP, even proving detrimental in some instances by inducing the development of disorders and abnormal ripening.
In this study, pears of the cultivar ‘Xenia’ were treated with 1-MCP at different timings immediately after harvest (2, 10, 21, and 56 d in a dosage of 325 nL L‑1) or immediately after storage (325 or 650 nL L‑1). Pears were stored for 9 months at 0°C in regular air (RA) or controlled atmosphere (CA) at 2.0 kPa O2 and 0.7 kPa CO2. Both the storage atmosphere and 1-MCP application strategy were shown to affect the storability of ‘Xenia’ pears. 1-MCP application 10 d after harvest maintained significantly higher fruit firmness, titratable acidity and greener skin coloration after 9 months of storage and a subsequent 7 d shelf-life period at 20°C, than other 1-MCP strategies.
Furthermore, the highest percentage of healthy fruit and lowest incidences of browning and cavity incidences were found in the 10 d 1-MCP treatment.
Pears stored under RA experienced the greatest loss of quality.
Delaying the 1-MCP application until after storage did not prove as a viable strategy to improve s during marketing.
Taken together, the results indicate that applying 1-MCP 10 d after harvest yields the highest fruit quality and health of ‘Xenia’ pears in long-term CA storage, but inhibited the softening of fruit, which can negatively affect the eating quality of ‘Xenia’ pears.
Publication
Authors
F. Büchele, C. Prunier, A. Patrudkar, F. Thewes, M.H. Hagemann, J. Gonçalves de Oliveira, D.A. Neuwald
Keywords
Pyrus communis L., controlled atmosphere (CA), fruit quality, core browning
Online Articles (42)