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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wenatchee, Washington » Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334609
Research Project: Developmental Genomics and Metabolomics Influencing Temperate Tree Fruit Quality

Location: Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research

Title: Controlled atmosphere storage, temperature conditioning, and antioxidant treatment alter postharvest 'Honeycrisp' metabolism

Author
item Leisso, Rachel
item Mattheis, James
item Rudell, David

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/23/2017
Publication Date: 3/1/2017
Citation: Leisso, R.S., Mattheis, J.P., Rudell, D.R. 2017. Controlled atmosphere storage, temperature conditioning, and antioxidant treatment alter postharvest 'Honeycrisp' metabolism. HortScience. 52(3):423–431. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI11436-16.

Interpretive Summary: Postharvest browning disorders of apple peel and flesh can result in significant annual postharvest losses. ‘Honeycrisp’ apples are continuing have a large share of the U.S. apple market with planted acreage increasing yearly. Increased acreage results in increased fruit production and a need to store this cultivar for longer periods of time. Long term storage enables a year round supply of this cultivar. ‘Honeycrisp’ apples are susceptible to peel and flesh disorders that occur during storage that render the fruit unmarketable. Therefore, a need exists to understand how ‘Honeycrisp’ fruit responds to postharvest temperature and storage room atmosphere modification. This knowledge allows development of storage protocols that minimize development of disorders while preserving appearance and edible quality. Research conducted at the USDA ARS laboratory in Wenatchee, Washington identified fruit responses to storage conditions that may be useful indicators of the potential for disorder development as well as provide a means to identify the cause of disorders that have occurred. This information could have utility by the apple industry to enhance marketing strategies and to know what caused disorders after problems have occurred.

Technical Abstract: The physiology and metabolism characterizing postharvest chilling and CO2 injury in apple has important implications for postharvest management of soft scald and soggy breakdown. This research assessed differences of primary metabolism related to soggy breakdown (cortex chilling injury) and CO2 cortex injury in 'Honeycrisp' apple fruit. Results indicate that pre-storage temperature conditioning, diphenylamine (DPA), and controlled atmosphere treatments alter fruit metabolism and affect peel and cortex storage disorder outcome. A preliminary definition of the aspects of primary metabolism involved in CO2 damage include increased activity in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, propanoate metabolism, and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism.