Articles
DCA is a viable non-chemical strategy that preserves the quality of organic ‘Gala’ apples in long supply chains
Article number
1456_2
Pages
9 – 14
Language
English
Abstract
The demand for organic apples in the USA continues to surge, with Washington State supplying over 90%. Despite year-round demand for organic apples, storage challenges impacts fruit quality during long supply chains.
Dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage has emerged as a promising chemical-free alternative for enhancing the quality of organic apples during long-term storage.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of DCA based on RQ compared to traditional CA and RA for organic ‘Gala’ apples for two seasons.
After harvest, fruit samples were stored for up to 9 months under Controlled Atmosphere (CA; 2 kPa O2, 0.5 kPa CO2, at 1°C), regular air (RA; at 1°C), or dynamic controlled atmosphere using respiratory quotient (DCA-RQ). After 6 and 9 months storage, fruit quality (firmness and titratable acidity [TA]) and physiological disorders were evaluated after 7 days (“shelf-life”) at 20°C. Additionally, 2 and 4 weeks in air storage were evaluated to simulate transit period of supply chain.
In general, the results for both seasons showed that fruit stored under DCA-RQ consistently maintained significantly higher firmness and TA compared to those stored in CA or RA. Also, the DCA-RQ storage reduced incidences of internal browning and shriveling (dehydration) across both seasons.
However, decay incidence in DCA-RQ was 11.5% in 2023 and 5.4% in 2024 after 9 months plus 4 weeks in RA plus the ‘shelf -life’ period.
These findings suggest that DCA-RQ is a viable storage strategy for preserving the quality of organic ‘Gala’ apples during extended storage and transit periods.
However, further research is needed to confirm the consistency of this technique across different seasons.
Dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage has emerged as a promising chemical-free alternative for enhancing the quality of organic apples during long-term storage.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of DCA based on RQ compared to traditional CA and RA for organic ‘Gala’ apples for two seasons.
After harvest, fruit samples were stored for up to 9 months under Controlled Atmosphere (CA; 2 kPa O2, 0.5 kPa CO2, at 1°C), regular air (RA; at 1°C), or dynamic controlled atmosphere using respiratory quotient (DCA-RQ). After 6 and 9 months storage, fruit quality (firmness and titratable acidity [TA]) and physiological disorders were evaluated after 7 days (“shelf-life”) at 20°C. Additionally, 2 and 4 weeks in air storage were evaluated to simulate transit period of supply chain.
In general, the results for both seasons showed that fruit stored under DCA-RQ consistently maintained significantly higher firmness and TA compared to those stored in CA or RA. Also, the DCA-RQ storage reduced incidences of internal browning and shriveling (dehydration) across both seasons.
However, decay incidence in DCA-RQ was 11.5% in 2023 and 5.4% in 2024 after 9 months plus 4 weeks in RA plus the ‘shelf -life’ period.
These findings suggest that DCA-RQ is a viable storage strategy for preserving the quality of organic ‘Gala’ apples during extended storage and transit periods.
However, further research is needed to confirm the consistency of this technique across different seasons.
Authors
S. Amankona, H.P. Lwin, C.A. Torres
Keywords
postharvest, dynamic controlled atmosphere, apple storage, respiratory quotient, fruit quality
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