Application of 1-MCP on melons at different temperatures

1-MCP provides the benefit of extending the postharvest life of fresh fruits and vegetables. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of 1-MCP treatment on muskmelons (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulates Naud.). Three different application temperatures (5, 10 and 20°C) and two cultivars of melons (‘Centro’ and ‘Lillo’) were investigated. During the 24-h long treatments the control melons (untreated) were kept at 5°C. After the treatments were accomplished, all samples were stored at ambient temperature (20°C). Treatment temperature had effects on the internal and external quality during storage time. Application of 1-MCP provided favorable quality features during 9 days at 20°C. After shelf-life, the acoustic firmness of ‘Lillo’ treated at 5, 10 and 20°C were 75.9, 71.7 and 66.1 (10⁶Hz²g^2/3), respectively, whereas that of the control (5°C) was 51.2 (10⁶Hz²g^2/3), while cultivar ‘Centro’ treated at 5, 10 and 20°C had an acoustic firmness of 71.6, 65.8 and 60.1 (10⁶Hz²g^2/3), respectively and the control (5°C) was 42.1 (10⁶Hz²g^2/3). The respiration and ethylene production decreased during storage, but at different rates for each treatment. The incidence of decay of the melons treated at 20°C was the highest, and it was 10% higher for ‘Centro’ than for ‘Lillo’. The results also indicated that ‘Lillo’ had slower senescence than cultivar ‘Centro’. 1-MCP could maintain the appearance, firmness and characteristic melon taste during the tested period.