Chapter 14.2 - Pome fruits: Pears

Abstract

Harvest maturity is an extremely important factor affecting storage potential and eating quality of European pears after storage. While immature pears are lack of flavor and more susceptible to shrivel, over-mature fruit undergo a faster quality deterioration with developing a dry-coarse instead of buttery-juicy texture and have a greater susceptibility to physiological disorders and fungal decay during storage. The main causes of quality loss during postharvest storage and transportation of European pears are superficial scald, deterioration in texture and flavor, senescence disorders, and friction discoloration. Physiological disorders caused by high CO2 and/or low O2 injuries may occur in CA storage. CA is considered as an important and efficient supplemental treatment to low temperatures for further extending storage quality of pears. Both of low temperatures and CA reduce the rates of fruit respiration and ethylene production. The appropriate O2 and CO2 levels vary among different pear cultivars and may vary with growing district. The main advantage of CA storage for pears is to maintain fruit ripening capacity over a longer period thus extending the market season. Although CA is routinely employed in long-term storage of European pears, significant storage losses due to physiological disorders including CO2 injury occur every year. In the case of Asian pears, many cultivars are sensitive to CO2 injury.