The Influence of Controlled Atmosphere Storage on Quality of Apples

Abstract

Using firmness, acidity, soluble solids and incidence of disorders as parameters of quality and condition, the influence of CA and cold storage on British Columbia Mcintosh, Spartan, Delicious and Newtown varieties of apples was compared in experiments conducted during the past seven years. CA storage was consistently more effective than cold storage in maintaining good quality and extending the potential marketing season of the fruit. Marked differences, however, were apparent in varietal response. For example, CA storage was highly effective in delaying softening of Spartan and Newtown apples, it reduced the softening rate of Mcintosh to a small although significant extent, and it was not significantly better than cold storage in maintaining firmness of Delicious. CA storage was considerably more effective than cold storage in maintaining an adequate level of fruit acidity, had no practical effect on soluble solids, but was highly effective in delaying or preventing the occurrence of storage disorders such as scald and internal browning.