Articles
Evaluating cold chain scenarios to optimize sweet cherry quality
Article number
1456_21
Pages
163 – 170
Language
English
Abstract
Market quality standards for sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), a valuable crop in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), emphasize firm fruit, green stems, and the absence of dehydration or microbial rot.
To assess the effects of cold chain scenarios on fruit firmness and overall quality, three sweet cherry cultivars (‘Rainier’, ‘Bing’, and ‘Sweetheart’) were harvested in 2024 at two maturity stages: early harvest (H1) and commercial harvest (H2). Immediately postharvest, fruit were hydrocooled at 0°C and stored under four storage regimes (all at 0°C, ~95% RH): regular atmosphere (RA); modified atmosphere packaging (MAP); and controlled atmosphere (CA) under two different conditions – CA-High (11% O2, 15% CO2) and CA-Low (1% O2, 1% CO2). Weight loss, stem condition, stem retention force, fruit firmness, and soluble solid content (SSC) were analyzed at harvest and after 15, 30, and 45 days of storage, plus 2 days at 5°C to simulate “shelf-life.” MAP and CA-Low treatments preserved greener stems in all cultivars for up to 30 days, particularly in H1. However, this effect disappeared for MAP after 45 days.
Stem retention force was higher in H1 fruit compared to H2 in both ‘Rainier’ and ‘Bing’ cultivars, with values of 7.62 N and 6.63 N in H1, versus 6.10 N and 5.07 N in H2, respectively.
Firmness increased over time across all cultivars and treatments, with the highest average firmness observed in ‘Rainier’ H1 fruit under MAP, rising from 241 g mm‑1 at 0 days to 370 g mm‑1 at 15 days.
No significant differences in soluble solid content were found between treatments or storage durations.
To assess the effects of cold chain scenarios on fruit firmness and overall quality, three sweet cherry cultivars (‘Rainier’, ‘Bing’, and ‘Sweetheart’) were harvested in 2024 at two maturity stages: early harvest (H1) and commercial harvest (H2). Immediately postharvest, fruit were hydrocooled at 0°C and stored under four storage regimes (all at 0°C, ~95% RH): regular atmosphere (RA); modified atmosphere packaging (MAP); and controlled atmosphere (CA) under two different conditions – CA-High (11% O2, 15% CO2) and CA-Low (1% O2, 1% CO2). Weight loss, stem condition, stem retention force, fruit firmness, and soluble solid content (SSC) were analyzed at harvest and after 15, 30, and 45 days of storage, plus 2 days at 5°C to simulate “shelf-life.” MAP and CA-Low treatments preserved greener stems in all cultivars for up to 30 days, particularly in H1. However, this effect disappeared for MAP after 45 days.
Stem retention force was higher in H1 fruit compared to H2 in both ‘Rainier’ and ‘Bing’ cultivars, with values of 7.62 N and 6.63 N in H1, versus 6.10 N and 5.07 N in H2, respectively.
Firmness increased over time across all cultivars and treatments, with the highest average firmness observed in ‘Rainier’ H1 fruit under MAP, rising from 241 g mm‑1 at 0 days to 370 g mm‑1 at 15 days.
No significant differences in soluble solid content were found between treatments or storage durations.
Authors
G. Bolanos, R. Mogollón, C.A. Torres
Keywords
Prunus avium, firmness, harvest, storage, MAP, control atmosphere
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