MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF TEXTURE PARAMETERS ON GOLDEN APPLES TREATED WITH PREHARVEST CALCIUM SPRAYS

Flesh firmness is one of several characteristic often used to estimate fruit maturity and select proper harvest date for apple cultivars (Salada, 1996). Mineral content mainly the calcium status in the fruit tissue is a preponderant factor for the maintenance of adequate texture quality after a long-term storage (Malakouti et al., 1999). Texture parameters can be estimated by different methods, such as the confined compression or Magness-Taylor tests. Nowadays, it is still difficult to establish a clear correlation between calcium content and flesh firmness in apples after cold storage. The purpose of the study was to try to correlate different textural parameters obtained by destructive mechanical tests and the mineral contents of apples after cold storage using principal components analysis.