Abstract
Cherry tomato is a perishable fruit due to its high rate of ethylene production and respiration during ripening. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is known to control ripening and reduce decay of fruit by inhibiting ethylene action. In the present study, the influence of 1-MCP application on quality and storability of ‘Unicorn’ cherry tomato was observed. Fruit at pink and red maturity stages were put in the commercial plastic containers and sealed with 40 μm low density polyethylene (LDPE) film, treated with 1-MCP (0 µL L−1 (control), 0.035 µL L−1 and 0.1 µL L−1), and stored at 10 °C in 85 ± 5% relative humidity (RH). The results indicated that application of 1-MCP at 0.1 µL L−1 significantly affected firmness, cell wall thickness, water soluble pectin, weight loss, surface color, lycopene content and physiological parameters in both pink and red maturity stages compared to 0.035 µL L−1 and control. 1-MCP treatment at 0.1 µL L−1 kept the fruits firmer than 0.035 µL L−1 and the control throughout the storage period for both maturity stages. Cell wall degradation in the control treatment was higher compared to the 0.1 µL L−1 1-MCP treated fruits in both maturity stages throughout the storage period. Results of this study revealed the effectiveness of application of 0.1 µL L−1 1-MCP on quality and shelf life of cherry tomato.
Highlights
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a climacteric fruit and its ripening process is accelerated by ethylene and this endogenous production of that hormone results in short postharvest life [1,2].Due to low storability of tomato fruits, various applications for extending fruit storability have been investigated, including 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) technology
In order to define the best 1-MCP treatment and maturity stage, we studied weight loss, changes in firmness, cell wall thickness, pectin content, lycopene content, color changes, and physiological characteristics of ‘Unicorn’ cherry tomato fruit
Moretti et al [17] reported shriveling and softening of fruit at both maturity stages and degradation of cell walls correlated with an increase of ethylene production and respiration rate, which led to softening of fruits
Summary
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a climacteric fruit and its ripening process is accelerated by ethylene and this endogenous production of that hormone results in short postharvest life [1,2].Due to low storability of tomato fruits, various applications for extending fruit storability have been investigated, including 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) technology. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a climacteric fruit and its ripening process is accelerated by ethylene and this endogenous production of that hormone results in short postharvest life [1,2]. 1-MCP treatment prevents ripening effects or senescence of fruits and vegetables, thereby extending their shelf life. 1-MCP is known to block ethylene receptors and prevent ethylene effects on harvested fruit and vegetable plant tissues. 1-MCP is vaporous compound known to have a direct effect on ethylene binding sites and is being utilized to extend the shelf life of produce by controlling over-maturing and aging-related changes [5,6,7]. Tomatoes are commonly harvested at a green mature stage, before quality change has begun. Respiration plays a key role in keeping quality and shelf life of fresh produce. Klee et al [9] stated
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