EFFECTS OF CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE, DYNAMIC CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE AND 1-MCP ON QUALITY OF 'GRANNY SMITH' APPLES

‘Granny Smith’ apples are susceptible to development of the physiological disorder superficial scald during long-term cold storage. The effects of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, dynamic CA (DCA) storage, and CA plus 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on fruit quality and superficial scald were investigated in this study. Fruits were treated with 1 µl/L 1-MCP for 24 h at 20°C, and then exposed to CA (1% CO₂ and 1.5% O₂), untreated fruits exposed to CA or to DCA (0.7-0.8% O₂) storage at 0°C up to 10 months. Apples were removed at 2-month intervals and assessed after a shelf life period of 10 days at 20°C. The most successful method for maintaining fruit firmness, green ground color and titratable acidity, and to prevent superficial scald, was CA+1-MCP.