Quality Maintenance and Suppression of Chilling Injury of 'Akihime' Plum Fruits Stored under Controlled Atmosphere

Abstract

Abstract. 'Akihime' plums picked at mature stage (50-70% red coloration of the fruit skin) were stored at 1°C under air or controlled atmosphere (CA) storage regime as following 3% O2 + 1, 3, 5, and 7% CO2 for 50 days for the purpose of assessing the effect of CA storage on the maintenance of fruit quality and the reduction of chilling injury. Fruits stored under CA storage regime showed reduced respiration as well as ethylene production rates compared to the fruits stored in air. Quality attributes including weight loss, Hunter 'a' values, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, and firmness showed smallest changes in fruits stored under CA conditions except for 3% O2 + 7% CO2. High incidence of physiological disorders including chilling injury, flesh browning, and decay were found in fruits stored under both air and CA of 3% O2 + 7% CO2. In our study, the CA storage regime of 3% O2 + 5% CO2 was found the most effective for maintaining overall fruit qualities of 'Akihime' plums produced in Korea, also delayed the development of chilling injury including lack of juiciness and flesh browning. From the results, storage at 3% O2 + 5% CO2 was selected as an optimal condition of 'Akihime' plum for extending storage life up to 50 days at 1°C.