The effect of modified atmospheres on the rate of firmness change of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit
Maarten L. A. T. M. Hertog , , Sue E. Nicholson and Peter B. Jeffery
Postharvest Biology and Technology Volume 31, Issue 3 , March 2004, Pages 251-261
2004
บทคัดย่อ
Gas exchange rates and softening of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa (A Chev) Liang et Ferguson cv Hayward) were measured during two seasons under a range of modified atmosphere (MA) conditions (0–21 kPa O2, 0–5 kPa CO2) at 0–10 °C to characterise their functional relationship. The kinetics of gas exchange and softening were the same for the two seasons studied.
CO2 partial pressures delayed softening but did not inhibit the rate of gas exchange. Lowering the O2 levels to near 0 kPa did not inhibit softening completely, suggesting that the rate of softening was driven by energy provided by both oxidative and fermentative processes.
An integrated modelling approach was used to link the rate of softening to the rate of gas exchange explaining 88% of the effect of MA on both the rate of gas exchange and fruit softening. Shelf life simulations showed that during storage at 0 °C, lowering O2 or raising CO2 gave a substantial benefit towards extending shelf life. At temperatures higher than 3 °C, the additional effect of MA was already limited.