Modified atmosphere package for apple ‘Bravo de Esmolfe’

Abstract

Apple ÔBravo de EsmolfeÕ original from the parish of ÔEsmolfeÕ is cultivated in specific regions of Portugal. This cultivar of medium to low production requires very low temperatures, but it is extremely sensitive to frost. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of modified atmosphere on the quality of apple (cv. Bravo de Esmolfe) during cold storage. Apples packed in modified atmosphere lost less weight, presented better colour, and preserved better firmness than fruits stored in air. .pt (A.M.M.B. Morais).

Modified atmosphere efficiency in the quality maintenance of Eva apples

“…However, the samples in the control treatment showed the greatest loss of firmness at 135 days and was significantly different from the other treatments until the end of the experiment. Similar results were found in another study that demonstrated the beneficial effects of modified atmosphere on apple texture (Rocha et al, 2004).…”

“…metabolism maintenance with considerable mass loss observed in the control treatment samples, ultimately leading to the accumulation of solids, which was also detected in another study on atemoyas (Silva et al, 2009). However, modified atmosphere showed no effect on this parameter in other studies (Rocha et al, 2004). Titratable acidity (TA) did not differ significantly during the experimental period (Table 4).…”

“…These data can be explained by the low permeability of the film to CO 2 and/or the maintenance of fruit respiration rate during that time period. Similarly, in another study it was found that after 130 days of storage at 2°C, CO 2 concentrations inside the package doubled in Bravo Esmolfe apples that were packed in polypropylene (Rocha et al, 2004).…”

“…These data emphasize the importance of the type of plastic film for the quality of postharvest storage of fruits. Apples stored under modified atmosphere lose less weight than those stored under normal atmosphere (Rocha et al, 2004). Thus, mass loss can be one of the causes of deterioration and decrease in visual quality of fresh products over time, which can lead to dehydration, wilting, loss of firmness, loss of crispness, and nutritional quality reduction as well as senescence promotion, which reduces the enzymatic and regulatory processes of the fruit (Ben-Yehoshua & Rodov, 2003).…”

“…Thus, there is a change in the metabolic processes (Hertog et al, 2001;Rocha et al, 2004) that slows fruit ripening, microbial growth (Cantwell, 1992;Caleb et al, 2012), moisture loss (Sabir et al, 2011), and enzymatic browning (Guan & Dou, 2010). Indeed, depending on the levels of fruit respiration and the film permeability, there may be an increase in the CO 2 levels that leads to anaerobic respiration, ethanol accumulation (Ares et al, 2007), and physiological injuries to the product.…”