Factors Affecting Internal Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Concentration of Citrus Fruits

Abstract

Abstract The objectives of this study were to show the variations of internal gases of Orlando tangelos, Temple oranges, and Marsh grapefruit before storage and how waxing, storage temperatures, and various external O2 and CO2 concentrations affected internal gas composition. These tests were part of an overall project to determine the best controlled atmosphere (CA) conditions for storage of citrus fruits. Since internal O2 and CO2 concentrations may affect fruit quality (1), one concern in the addition of CO2 to the external atmosphere during CA storage was that the concentration of this component would continue to build up internally. Eaks and Ludi (1) have shown that the internal atmospheres of citrus fruits are affected by temperature, washing, and waxing. Vines and Oberbacher (4) found that certain packinghouse treatments increased CO2 concentrations within citrus fruits.