Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate whether 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment delays the fruit softening mechanism associated with the fruit quality of the newly released apple cultivars “Summer King” and “Green Ball” during cold storage. For both cultivars, the fruit treated with 1-MCP exhibited lower internal ethylene concentration, higher firmness, and higher titratable acidity relative to the control fruit, in association with less fruit softening. In addition, the treated fruit significantly delayed fresh weight loss and reduction of soluble solids content, especially in “Green Ball.” Moreover, slower degradation of cell wall components (water-soluble pectin, sodium carbonate-soluble pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose) was also observed in the treated fruit in comparison to the control fruit. Similarly, the enzymatic activities (of polygalacturonase, pectin methylesterase, cellulase, β-galactosidase, and α-L-arabinofuranosidase) that cause cell wall degradation were relatively lower in the treated fruit than in the control fruit for both cultivars, which was further proved by transcriptional analysis of the genes encoding the enzymes. Overall, the results suggested that the usage of 1-MCP is useful to delay fruit softening of the two cultivars during cold storage by delaying the degradation of cell wall components and enzymatic activities of cell wall hydrolysis.
Highlights
The apple industry is relatively large among the other fruit industries in Korea
A significant decline in the flesh firmness was observed in both cultivars throughout cold storage, but this was more significant in the control fruit than those treated with 1-MCP, for both cultivars (Figures 1A, B)
It could be stated that the marked decrease in the flesh vfirmness and titratable acidity (TA) was directly associated with the increase in storage time, and the control fruit were more affected than those treated with 1-MCP
Summary
The apple industry is relatively large among the other fruit industries in Korea. fruit softening that negatively affects marketable quality traits, such as crisp texture, flavor, and appearance, impacting consumers’ preference continue to be a problem for the industry. The benefit of using 1-MCP to delay fruit softening in apples had been well documented (Watkins, 2006; Watkins, 2008; Kim et al, 2018). 1-MCP delayed fruit softening during storage by inhibiting ethylene production and activities of cell wall-degrading enzymes (Watkins, 2006; Lu et al, 2018; Yoo et al, 2018). Kim et al (2018) observed a reduction in the loss of firmness, TA, SSC, and water, accompanied by less fruit softening, during cold storage of 1-MCP-treated ‘Gamhong’ apple
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