Improving postharvest strawberry fruit quality with carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide at high ambient temperatures.

摘要

Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) are one of the most perishable of fresh commodities. To investigate the effects of modified atmosphere on strawberry fruit quality and shelf life, strawberry fruits were kept in the open air or in 120 L barrels in air, 20 kPa carbon dioxide or 100 kPa nitrous oxide for 4, 5, 6 and 7 days at ambient temperatures (10-20 degrees C minimum-maximum) and 88% relative humidity. Strawberry fruits kept in CO< sub>2 and N< sub>2O inhibited fungal growth even after fruit were removed from storage compared with controls. Fungal growth in the CO< sub>2 treatment appeared more rapidly than in the N< sub>2O treatment. For quality attributes, total soluble solids (TSS, mainly sugars) increased in CO< sub>2 and N< sub>2O treatments more than both air controls. Titratable acidity (TA) decreased in N< sub>2O treatment more than CO< sub>2 treatment and both of these in turn had lower acid than the control treatments. Acceptability depends upon personal taste but usually a balance between sweetness and acidity (TSS/TA), within a range not to be exceeded either way, is desirable. Treatments that increase sweetness may be useful especially for acid cultivars. Both CO< sub>2 and N< sub>2O increased this ratio (sweetness) and would be considered beneficial.