CULTIVAR, HARVEST LOCATION AND COLD STORAGE INFLUENCE FRUIT SOFTENING AND ANTIOXIDATIVE ACTIVITIES OF PEACH FRUIT [PRUNUS PERSICA (L.) BATSCH.]

摘要

Fruit softening and quality management is very important to reduce postharvest losses in peach. Present study wasconducted to observe the effect of cultivars and harvest locations on peach fruit softening and quality during ripeningfollowing cold storage. Fruits of two peach cultivars Prunus persica (L.) Batsch., harvested from two different locationswere evaluated at ripening for their postharvest fruit softening and quality after 28 days of low temperature storage. Fruitharvested from Sillanwali exhibited significantly higher ethylene production, respiration rate, fruit weight loss, ascorbic acidcontents, activities of fruit softening enzymes [endo-polygalacturonase (endo-PG), exo-polygalacturonase (exo-PG)] andsignificantly lower fruit firmness, ground colour, soluble solid contents (SSC), SSC:TA, total phenolic contents (TPC),antioxidant scavenging activity (ASA), activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), andpectin esterase (PE) enzymes as compared to fruit harvested from Soan Valley. Peach cv ‘Early Grand’ showed significantlyhigher ethylene production, respiration rate, ascorbic acid contents, activities of CAT, endo-PG and exo-PG enzymes,whereas lower fruit weight loss, fruit firmness, SSC, SSC:TA, TPC, ASA, activities of POD, SOD, PE and enzymesthan ‘Flordaking’. Harvest location and cultivar significantly influenced various physico-chemical attributes includingactivities of various fruit softening and antioxidative enzymes in peach fruit during ripening after low temperature storage.