Vol. 82 No: 2

Title:
Effects of pre-storage heat treatment on fruit ripening and decay development in different apple cultivars

Authors:
X.F. SHAO, K. KTU, Y.Z. ZHAO, L. CHEN, Y.Y. CHEN and H. WANG

pp: 297-303

Abstract:
Apple fruits of different cultivars were heat-treated at 38°C for 4 d immediately after harvest, then stored at 0°C for 6 weeks (´Gala`) or 4 months (´Golden Delicious` and ´Red Fuji`). Upon removal from storage, fruits were kept for 7 d at 20°C as a shelf-life test. During storage and shelf-life, various ripeness parameters were measured. ´Golden Delicious` and ´Red Fuji` apples were artificially inoculated with Penicillium expansum or Botrytis cinerea before heat treatment, then stored at 20°C for 3 weeks, or 0°C for 6 weeks, and the development of fruit decay was recorded.The respiration rate decreased and the ratio of soluble solids contents (SSC): titratable acidity (TA) increased for all heattreated fruits. For ´Gala` and ´Golden Delicious` apples, heat treatment significantly reduced ethylene evolution, reduced softening during cold storage, and reduced membrane electrolyte leakage after cold storage and shelf-life. Better quality was maintained at the end of the shelf-life for these two cultivars. However, the effects of heat treatment on ethylene production, membrane electrolyte leakage and texture parameters of ´Red Fuji` apples were not significant. The rotting caused by P. expansum or B. cinerea was very severe, especially for apples stored at 20°C. However, decay was completely inhibited in ´Golden Delicious` and ´Red Fuji` apples that had been heat-treated after inoculation. It was concluded that the response to heat treatment varied according to cultivar. Pre-storage heat treatment could delay the ripening of ´Gala` and ´Golden Delicious` apples and maintain storage quality. Although heat treatment gave no beneficial effects on the quality of ´Red Fuji` apples, it could be applied to control disease in this apple cultivar.

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