Changes in the biochemical characteristics and volatile fingerprints of atemoya during postharvest ripening at room temperature

Abstract

In order to determine the best shelf life of the atemoya, the changes in the biochemical characteristics in five different stages of senescence were investigated. During postharvest ripening at room temperature, the firmness decreased rapidly after harvest and the fruit weight loss and browning degree increased from the earliest green-colored stage onward. The total soluble solid concentrations (TSSC) and titratable acidity (TA) increased continuously throughout maturation, and the peak respiratory and ethylene production rates occurred on the 3d and 5th day of postharvest, respectively. Phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) activity steadily increased, catalase and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities decreased significantly on the 1st day and then gradually increased, and peroxidase activities increased during the initial 3 days, and then decreased at later stages. The volatile fingerprints of flesh samples from the five senescence stages were successfully established using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) combined with principal component analysis, and 32 typical target compounds and 35 indeterminate compounds were obtained. The results provide a theoretical basis for the development of innovative preservation methods for atemoya.

Effects of Volatile Flavour Compound Variations on the Varying Aroma of Mangoes ‘Tainong’ and ‘Hongyu’ during Storage

“…This value of 'Tainong' was higher than 'Hongyu' for the first three days of storage but decreased rapidly after three days, reaching the threshold at day seven of storage (Figure 1D). Similar results have been previously reported for other mangoes [20][21][22]. This rapid decrease in firmness may be due to the degradation of the cell wall [17].…”

“…The variation in VOCs during storage at six different stages is presented in Figure 3. The differential graphs (Figure 3A,B) were compared for the changes in VOCs Titratable acidity and soluble solid concentration (mostly consisting of carbohydrates, acids, and a few trace quantities of dissolved substances) are crucial quality indicators for the flavour of fresh mango products and the flavour development during ripening [1,20]. In this present study, the titratable acidity of 'Tainong' decreased to about 1/3 of the initial value after 5 d, while the titratable acidity of 'Hongyu' remained stable (Figure 1G,H) [1].…”