1-Methylcyclopropene maintains postharvest quality in Norwegian apple fruit

Abstract

Norwegian fruit production is mostly destined for the local market and can suffer from poor-quality retention during storage. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is an inhibitor of ethylene perception used to maintain the physical and functional quality of pome fruit. Extensive work has been carried out on the effect of 1-MCP on apples, but not on cultivars grown in Norway. In this work, the potential of 1-MCP application (0.625 ml l −1 for 24 h at 0 ± 1℃) for ripening control of the apple cultivars ‘Aroma’, ‘Red Gravenstein’, and ‘Summered’ was studied during 1 and 1.5 months of cold storage; both scenarios were followed by five days of shelf life. The application of 1-MCP reduced softening by an average of 12% in ‘Aroma’, ‘Red Gravenstein’, and ‘Summered’ apples when cold stored for both 1 and 1.5 months as compared to control. External colour remained similar to initial values in 1-MCP fruit when compared to control apples, which presented a significant skin darkening. This indicated a delay in the ripening process. 1-MCP treatment did not affect total soluble solids content. ‘Aroma’ samples treated with 1-MCP showed a low sucrose hydrolysis, indicating a slower ripening process. This work confirms that 1-MCP postharvest treatment shows great potential for maintenance of apple cvs. in Norway during cold storage and shelf life.

The Effects of Preharvest 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) Treatment on the Fruit Quality Parameters of Cold-Stored ‘Szampion’ Cultivar Apples

“…In order to increase the quality of produced 'Szampion' cultivar apples, various actions are taken, including spraying trees [2], modified atmosphere storage [3], and edible coatings [4], but also postharvest treatment by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) [5]. 1-MCP is commonly used in postharvest treatment also for other cultivars, such as 'Aroma', 'Red Gravenstein', 'Summered Norvegian' [6], 'Idared' [5], 'Granny Smith' [7], 'Red Delicious' [8], 'Cripps Pink' [9], and 'Jonah King' cultivars [10]. It inhibits ripening of climacteric fruit by blocking ethylene receptors, preventing ethylene from binding and eliciting its action [11].…”

The Effects of 1-Methylcyclopropene Treatment on the Fruit Quality of ‘Idared’ Apples during Storage and Transportation

“…The major application of 1-MCP in the case of apples is associated with the fact that, as an ethylene antagonist, it is routinely used to modulate the ripening progression, while increasing storage potential and shelf life [24]. However, not only for apples [25], but also other fruits such as banana [26], mango [27], plum [28], or tomato [29], there were some results published indicating that 1-MCP may be beneficial for the quality of fruits during extended periods after harvesting.…”

1-Methylcyclopropene Improves Postharvest Performances and Sensorial Attributes of Annurca-Type Apples Exposed to the Traditional Reddening in Open-Field Melaio

“…Apple skin color, absence of defects, taste, aroma, crispness, juiciness, sweetness, mouthfeel and texture are considered to be the main sensorial attributes driving consumer choice [20,[31][32][33]. The consumer perception of a typical food is crucial to preserve crop landraces on-farm, and therefore, interventions to modify a traditional production system should always consider these issues.…”

“…The 1-MCP inhibits ethylene biosynthesis through competitive binding to the ethylene receptors [12][13][14][15], slowing fruit senescence. The potential application of 1-MCP has attracted large interest in horticulture, but nowadays, its most successful commercial use is on the apple [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Nonetheless, considerable variation in postharvest practices exists among cultivars, although information is available only on contemporary varieties [19,22].…”