Effects of continuous ethylene treatment on 'Navelina' orange fruit quality

C. Mahler, S.H. Satyan, L.J. Spohr, A.M. Harris, J.B. Golding
The storage of citrus is an important component in the supply chain. It is often necessary to store oranges for distant markets, however a number of fruit quality issues can occur during storage and transport. In this trial, 'Navelina' oranges were subjected to a constant low flow of air or 0.5 µL L-1 ethylene at either 5 or 20°C and stored for four weeks. TSS, TA, peel colour and ethanol content were measured every week. In addition informal taste tests on the juice from treated fruits were conducted after three and four weeks of storage. There was no effect of continuous ethylene treatment on TSS or TA levels at either storage temperature, however ethylene treated fruits had significantly higher ethanol levels at 5°C storage. The results of the informal sensory tests showed consumers had a clear preference for air-treated fruit after three and four weeks of storage across both storage temperatures. The levels of fruit rots were low throughout the experiment and not affected by ethylene treatment. These results show that although many of the traditional quality parameters of citrus quality were generally not affected by continuous ethylene treatment, its effects on off-flavours and consumer acceptability warrant continuing research work.
Mahler, C., Satyan, S.H., Spohr, L.J., Harris, A.M. and Golding, J.B. (2016). Effects of continuous ethylene treatment on 'Navelina' orange fruit quality. Acta Hortic. 1120, 79-84
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1120.11
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1120.11
ethylene, citrus, orange, fruit quality, storage, off-flavour, ethanol
English

Acta Horticulturae