Biochemical markers to predict internal browning disorders in ‘Rocha’ pear during storage under high CO₂

Abstract

This work clearly identifies biochemical IBD markers for 'Rocha' pear and shows that dynamic changes in ethanol concentration during the beginning of storage may be used to predict IBD development. Therefore the results presented herein represent a major step forward in the prediction of IBD in 'Rocha' pear. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Physicochemical Fingerprint of “Pera Rocha do Oeste”. A PDO Pear Native from Portugal

“…There are several different types of conditions for pear storage. The most common in Portugal are the normal atmosphere (NA) (20–21% O 2 , 0.03% CO 2 , 78–79% N 2 , and a set of other trace gases) [ 6 ]; the controlled atmosphere (CA) (using a combination of refrigeration temperature (−0.5 °C), high relative humidity (95%), and control of the partial pressure of atmospheric gases inside the chambers: O 2 (2–3 kPa) and CO 2 (0.5–0.7 kPa)) [ 5 , 7 ]; and the dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA), where the concentration of O 2 is gradually reduced to the lower limit tolerated by the fruit (less than 1 kPa) [ 8 ]. While in a normal atmosphere the fruits can only be kept for a maximum period of 5 months, in a dynamic controlled atmosphere they can be kept for up to 10 months [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 9 ].…”