Fruit maturity and storage temperature influence response of strawberries to controlled atmospheres.
Nunes, M. C. N., Morais, A. M. M. B., Brecht, J. K. and Sargent, S. A.
Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Volume 127, Number 5, 2002. Pages 836-842.
2002
บทคัดย่อ
'Chandler' strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) harvested three-quarter colored or fully red were stored in air or a controlled atmosphere (CA) of 5% O2+15% CO2 at 4 or 10 deg C to evaluate the influence of fruit maturity and storage temperature on the response to CA. Quality evaluations were made after 1 and 2 weeks in air or CA, and also after 1 and 2 weeks in air or CA plus 1 day in air at 20 deg C. By 2 weeks, strawberries of both maturities stored in air at 10 deg C were decayed; however, strawberries stored in CA at 4 or 10 deg C or air at 4 deg C had no decay even after 2 weeks plus 1 day at 20 deg C. Three-quarter colored fruits stored in either air or CA remained firmer, lighter (higher L* value) and purer red (higher hue and chroma values) than fully red fruits, with the most pronounced effect observed on CA-stored fruits at 4 deg C. CA was more effective than air storage in maintaining initial anthocyanin and soluble solids contents (SSC) of three-quarter colored fruits and fruits stored at 10 deg C. Strawberries harvested three-quarter colored maintained initial hue and chroma values for 2 weeks in CA at 4 deg C, becoming fully red only when transferred to air at 20 deg C. Although three-quarter colored fruits darkened and softened in 10 deg C storage, the CA-stored fruits remained lighter colored and as firm as the at-harvest values of fully red fruits. After 1 or 2 weeks in CA at either 4 or 10 deg C plus 1 day at 20 deg C, three-quarter colored fruits also had similar SSC levels but lower total anthocyanin contents than the initial levels in fully red fruits. CA maintained better strawberry quality than air storage even at an above optimum storage temperature of 10 deg C, but CA was more effective at the lower temperature of 4 deg C. Three-quarter colored fruits responded better to CA than fully red fruits, maintaining better appearance, firmness, and colour over 2 weeks storage, while achieving similar acidity and SSC with minimum decay development.