Impact of controlled atmosphere scheduling on strawberry and imported avocado fruit

Abstract

British grown strawberry cv. Sonata and Chilean avocado cv. Hass were exposed to controlled atmospheres (CA) of 15 kPa CO2 + 5 kPa O2 (5°C) and 10 kPa CO2 + 5 kPa O2 (5 or 20°C), respectively, at early, middle or late stages during postharvest storage of avocados and at early and middle stages for strawberries. Real-time respiration rate (RR) was measured during CA storage and regular fruit sampling carried out to assess disease severity, objective colour, ethylene production and firmness. The automated in situ setup used allowed continuous recordings of real-time respiration measurements without disruption to the CA environment. Cold stored strawberry fruit treated for 2.5 d with CA midway through the storage period were firmer and maintained a more vibrant colour despite bursts of increased RR. Furthermore, just 2.5 d of CA was sufficient to extend the shelf-life of strawberries (based on disease incidence) by a further 3 d, as compared to control. Irrespective of timing, RR of avocado stored at 20°C was reduced while under CA environment; and early CA exposure maintained firmness yet increased the incidence of internal discolouration 7 d after removal from CA. At 5°C, avocado skin colour and internal discolouration were positively affected by the mid CA treatment. These results are discussed in the context of the targeted use of CA, compared to control, for extending shelf-life, and reducing waste of these two different fruit produces. Furthermore, reducing the length of time required for CA application, which has not

Graduated Controlled Atmosphere: A Novel Approach to Increase “Duke” Blueberry Storage Life

“…The introduction of real-time respirometry has allowed the effects of CA to be monitored, reactivating research in this field. Previous studies have shown how targeted CA applications had a similar effect to continuous CA in extending shelf-life of onion, strawberry and avocado (Chope et al, 2007;Alamar et al, 2017). Based on these results, we hypothesized in this work that the graduated application of CA (GCA) could avoid this metabolic shock as it allows fresh produce to more slowly adapt to an optimal gaseous environment.…”

Impact of salicylic acid, abscisic acid, and methyl jasmonate on postharvest quality and bioactive compounds of cultivated strawberry fruit

“…Recently, many postharvest techniques have been applied for reducing decay of strawberry fruit such as edible coating with Aloe vera and ascorbic acid [3], dipping in essential oils [4], melatonin treatment [5], controlled atmosphere storage [6], γ-irradiation [7], hot air and hot water dipping [2,8], Nano-ZnO treatment [9], pulsed light [10], and ethylene action inhibitor (1-MCP) treatment [11]. However, some of these treatments are not realistic due to low customer acceptance or high treatment price.…”

Extension of Avocado Fruit Postharvest Quality Using Non-Chemical Treatments

“…The early stage (postharvest storage) fruits exposed to CA, retained fruit firmness better however, it revealed a high incidence of internal discolouration after 7 days that means after the samples were withdrawn from the CA storage. At 5 • C, the avocado skin colour and flesh discolouration were maintained better by CA treatment compared to control fruit [39]. The CA reduced endogenous ethylene production, resulting in lighter, more vivid and firmer fruit, suggesting a reduction in senescence.…”

“…The effect of CA (10 kPa CO 2 + 5 kPa O 2 at 5 and 20 • C was investigated in avocados at different intervals for early, middle or late stages of postharvest storage [39]. Irrespective of timing, respiration rate of avocado stored at 20 • C was reduced while under CA environment ( Table 2).…”