Abstract
A “Laiyang” pear is a climacteric fruit with a special taste and nutritional value but is prone to a post-harvest aroma compound loss and a loss in fruit quality. In this study, pears were pretreated with 0.5 μl L–1 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at 20°C for 12 h and then stored at 0 ± 1°C for 150 days to evaluate the influence of 1-MCP on fruit quality and the changes in components of volatile aromas. In addition, pears were further treated with 2 mmol L–1 ethephon. The effects of ethephon on the recovery of aroma production were investigated during the 150 day storage at 0 ± 1°C and the subsequent 7 day shelf life at 20 ± 1°C. Treatment with 1-MCP inhibited firmness loss, increased electrical conductivity, reduced respiration and ethylene production rates as well as the contents of soluble solids, and maintained the storage quality of the fruits. However, 1-MCP treatment inhibited the emission of volatile aromas in pear fruits by decreasing the activities of various enzymes, such as lipoxygenase (LOX), hydroperoxide lyase (HPL), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), pyruvate carboxylase (PDC), and alcohol acetyltransferase (AAT). During the shelf-life, activities of the above mentioned enzymes were significantly enhanced, and a higher content of volatile aromas were found in fruits treated with 1-MCP + ethephon, while other qualities were not compromised. These results showed that 1-MCP treatment could effectively maintain the quality of the “Laiyang” pear during cold storage, and the additional application of ethephon on fruits during shelf-life may be a promising way to restore volatile aromas in pear fruits after long-term storage.
Highlights
“Laiyang” pears (Pyrus bretschneideri Reld), important fruits produced on a commercial scale in China for many years, are favorable for their special flavor, nutritional and medicinal functions (Liu et al, 2013; Fan et al, 2016)
The volatile production evaluation demonstrated that 1-MCP treatment significantly suppressed the synthesis of saturated and unsaturated esters derived from ethylene-dependent fatty acid metabolism in papaya (Sundaram and Prabhakaran, 2017)
The respiratory climacteric peak of 1-MCP-treated fruit was significantly delayed by 30 days and decreased by 34.4% compared to CK fruit (Supplementary Figure S1a)
Summary
“Laiyang” pears (Pyrus bretschneideri Reld), important fruits produced on a commercial scale in China for many years, are favorable for their special flavor, nutritional and medicinal functions (Liu et al, 2013; Fan et al, 2016). Pear Aroma Recovery and quality deterioration, leading to great economical losses during post-harvest storage periods (Liu et al, 2013). The volatile production evaluation demonstrated that 1-MCP treatment significantly suppressed the synthesis of saturated and unsaturated esters derived from ethylene-dependent fatty acid metabolism in papaya (Sundaram and Prabhakaran, 2017). Balbontin et al (2007) reported that the development of ethylene-dependent flavor processes in fruit was blocked by 1-MCP treatment. The production of most esters in papaya was dependent on ethylene, and the application of ethephon during fruit ripening promoted the production of esters (Balbontin et al, 2007). The study aims to investigate the effect of 1-MCP treatment on the quality of the “Laiyang” pear during the cold storage period, and the effect of ethephon on the recovery of aroma formation of the “Laiyang” pear fruit during the shelf-life
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