Abstract
This research was carried out over two years to determine the quality changes in fresh-cut apple slices processed after hot water, 1-methylcyclopropene 1-MCP , and lovastatin treatments followed by controlled atmosphere CA storage. Apples harvested at the optimum stage were immediately transferred to the postharvest laboratory by a refrigerated vehicle. Intact apples were exposed to three treatments: dipping into hot water 50 °C for 60 s , treating with lovastatin 1.25 mmol L-1 , and treating with 1-MCP 1 µL L-1 . Treated apples and the control group were stored in CA storage 2% O2 + 2% CO2 for 10 months. After long-term storage, the apples, sliced and packaged in plastic boxes, were stored at 0 °C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity RH for 14 days. Weight loss, soluble solid content, flesh firmness and color, titratable acidity, respiration rate, microbial count, and ethylene synthesis were determined during storage. As a result, a global beneficial effect of 1-MCP on sliced apples was observed, although its affirmative effect on ethylene synthesis and respiration rate vanished after 10 months of storage. 1-MCP-treated slices had better results in terms of microbial count, flesh firmness, external appearance, and weight loss compared to other applications. Lovastatin decreased the ethylene synthesis and respiration rate and was the best treatment to maintain the flavor of apple slices. Hot water and control treatments gave similar results for fruit quality and microbial activity. After long-term cold storage 10 months in CA, fresh-cut apple slices could be stored for 7 days with good quality at 0 °C and 90 ± 5% RH.
Highlights
Apples are produced and consumed in many countries around the world
The weight loss of all treated apple slices increased with the storage period but was relatively limited by 1-MCP and lovastatin compared to control and hot water treatments. 1-MCP, suppressing ethylene biosynthesis and respiration rate of apples, decreased weight loss in apple slices, as expected
Some previous studies reported a decrease in weight loss of intact and sliced apples treated with 1-MCP, related to a suppressing effect on respiration and senescence process during storage (Calderon-Lopez et al, 2005; Koyuncu et al, 2010)
Summary
Apples are produced and consumed in many countries around the world. With 3,032,164 tons of apple production, is one of the major producer countries in the world, following China and the United States In China, in which 41,391,500 tons of apples are produced annually, the majority (71%) are consumed as fresh fruit, while about 20% are marketed as value-added products (Li et al, 2015; http://www.fao.org/ faostat/en/), similar to the rest of the world. Georgoudaki and Nanos (2015) reported that the consumption of fresh-cut horticultural crops has increased steadily due to consumer demand for healthy and appropriate foods in recent years. Despite the popularity of minimally processed fruit, fast deterioration and mechanical injuries during processing are the main factors affecting the fresh-cut industry. Some previous studies have been carried out on the use of different treatments to maintain storage life
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