Cultivar Effects on Quality of Fresh Cut Apple Slices from 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP)-Treated Apple Fruit

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The effects of 1 -methylcyclopropene (1 -MCP) treatment of whole fruit on the subsequent quality and shelf-life of fresh-cut apple slices have been investigated. ‘Delicious,’ Empire, ‘Idared’, Law Rome, and ‘Mutsu’ apples were treated at 0.5°C with 1 μL/L of 1 -MCP for 24 h and stored in air 1 and 4 mo before being used for preparation of slices. 1-MCP reduced internal ethylene concentrations and maintained firmness of the whole fruit in‘Delicious,’ Empire, and ‘Idared’, but not consistently for ‘Law Rome’ and ‘Mutsu.’ Slices prepared from fruit of cultivars that responded to 1 -MCP had lower ethylene production rates and were firmer than those from untreated fruits. However, 1-MCP treatment did not consistently affect the extent of browning or aroma volatile concentrations. In cultivars in which treatment of apples with 1-MCP at harvest maintained the original fresh quality of intact fruit by suppressing ethylene production, fruit were firmer, and thus a superior fresh- cut product with an extended shelf-life potential was obtained. However, in general, slices prepared from untreated and 1-MCP-treated fruit deteriorated at similar rates.