Real-time microsensor measurement of internal oxygen partial pressure in tomato fruit under hypoxic conditions
Adrian D. Berry and Steven A. Sargent
Postharvest Biology and Technology, Volume 52, Issue 2, May 2009, Pages 240-242
2009
บทคัดย่อ
Internal oxygen partial pressure of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit was measured using a pc-controlled, fiber-optic O2 meter. Tomato fruit were subjected to hypoxic conditions via blockage of gas exchange at the stem end or by controlled atmosphere storage (4 kPa O2 plus 5 kPa CO2). Internal O2 partial pressure was evaluated in distal (i.e., blossom-end) tissue (10-mm depth). In both tests tomato fruit exposed to ambient atmosphere conditions had internal O2 partial pressure of 18 kPa. Hypoxia was induced following lanolin application to the stem scar, and O2 partial pressure decreased to 0.3 kPa after 1.5 h. During short-term CA application, the O2 content of tomato was 1.0 and 0.2 kPa, after 1 and 2 h, respectively. This measurement apparatus shows promise for determining internal O2 partial pressure in soft fruits as affected by such external conditions as coatings, and modified or controlled atmosphere storage.