Predictions of fruit shelf life and quality after ripening: Are quality traits measured at harvest reliable indicators?

摘要

Nondestructive methods such as near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are increasingly used in sorting lines to assess quality traits of unripe fruit, i.e. dry matter (DM) and total soluble solid (TSS) contents, in order to create homogenous batches of fruit. The use of this approach is based on the assumption that fruit quality traits at harvest are reliable indicators of their post-harvest behavior and their quality after ripening. The present study tested this assumption by analyzing the relationships between quality traits at harvest and after ripening. In parallel, models were developed to determine the capacity of NIRS measurements on unripe fruit at harvest to predict their shelf life and quality after ripening.