Response of 1-methylcyclopropene treated "Granny Smith" apple fruit to air and controlled atmosphere storage conditions

In the study, the efficacy of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the quality of apples cv. "Granny Smith" was examined. Fruits were stored for 120 and 180 days at 0 ± 0.5C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity (RH) under normal (NA) and controlled atmosphere (CA), and samples taken at 120 and 180 days of storage were kept at 20 ± 2C and 60 ± 5% RH for 7 days. Weight loss was higher in fruits stored under NA. The lowest respiration rates were in CA while the highest rates were found in NA-stored fruits without pretreated. 1-MCP + CA reduced the internal ethylene concentration from 10.63 μL/L to 0.60 μL. The incidence and severity of superficial scald was 68.10 and 77.00% in fruits stored in NA. 1-MCP consistently suppressed the expression of superficial scald. 1-MCP maintained the quality fruit kept in CA and NA environments to a higher degree than nontreated apples over a 180-day storage period. The results indicated that cv. "Granny Smith" could be stored successfully under 1-MCP + CA conditions and that 1-MCP + NA may be a viable alternative to CA for optimal eating quality. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is an effective inhibitor of ethylene action and it binds irreversibly to ethylene receptors. 1-MCP delays the onset of the climacteric ripening of fruits. Recently research has been conducted on the effects of 1-MCP on postharvest behavior of fruits and vegetables with the objective of reducing physiological disorders and quality losses to prolong their commercial life. The use of 1-MCP is easy. It is important that the fruit treated with 1-MCP reach a good sensory quality at the commercial level. Superficial scald of apples is a physiological disorder, which following long-term storage has the potential to destroy the market value and utility of millions of tons of fresh apples annually. The present work evaluated a prestorage conditioning treatment to protect against this physiological disorder. Results will allow the long storage of apple cv. "Granny Smith," benefiting growers, exporters, shippers and distributors of this horticultural product.