EFFECT OF INTERMITTENT WARMING AND MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING ON COLOR DEVELOPMENT OF PEACHES

Abstract

ABSTRACTPeaches (Prunus persica L. Batsch cv. ‘Paraguayo’) at firm‐breaker stage of maturity were stored at 0.5 C for 3 weeks. Intermittent warming (IW) for 1 day at 20C every 6 days of cold storage at 0.5C, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) generated by 42 μm oriented polypropylene bags, and a combination of MAP and IW were applied. Changes in skin and flesh color (measured by CIELAB parameters and Chroma and Hue angle color indices) during normal postharvest ripening at 20C, during cold storage and after 3 days of post‐storage ripening were studied. For commercial purposes, IW led to the same color level being reached as was found in normal postharvest ripened fruits. In contrast, the high carbon dioxide and low oxygen generated by MAP alone or combined with IW delayed color development even during post‐storage ripening. Ground color measured by hue angle was the best index for monitoring color evolution during ripening and storage.