1. Delayed 1-Methylcyclopropene application improves ripening recovery in banana fruit after cold storage
- Author
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Satekge, Thabiso Kenneth and Magwaza, Lembe Samukelo
- Abstract
This study investigated the potential of delaying 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) application as a postharvest strategy to enhance ripening recovery of banana fruit. The experiment comprised the following treatments: control (no 1-MCP), 400 nL L−11-MCP at 1 and 15 d, and 50 µL L−1ethephon + 400 nL L−1at 1 and 15 d, arranged in a completely randomized design. Fruit were stored at 14 °C for 30 d and thereafter allowed to ripen at 23 °C for 9 d. After 9 d shelf life, 1-MCP/15 d treated fruit had significantly lower firmness (54.24 N) compared to fruit treated with 1-MCP/1 d (69.45 N). Peel degreening was significantly higher in the 1-MCP/1 d treatment, with hue values of 92.06 compared to 86.62 for 1-MCP/15 d. The 1-MCP/1 d treatment significantly maintained higher total chlorophyll (307.7 µg/g) and carotenoids (145 µg/g) in peel compared to 1-MCP/15 d treatment. Sucrose accumulation significantly increased in 1-MCP/15 d treated fruit (5.26 mg/mL) compared to that treated with 1-MCP/1 d (1.74 mg/mL). A similar trend was observed for glucose (0.81 mg/mL) and fructose (0.83 mg/mL). The 1-MCP/1 d treated fruit had no detectable glucose and fructose during shelf life. Our results demonstrated that application of 1-MCP at 15 d cold storage is a promising postharvest strategy to extend fruit shelf life by enhancing ripening recovery after cold storage.
- Published
- 2022
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