ISHS Acta Horticulturae 157: Postharvest Handling of Vegetables
EFFECT OF CHILLING ON VOLATILES OF TOMATO FRUIT |
| Authors: | J.R. Crooks, P.M. Ludford |
| Abstract:
Fruit of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum, Mill.) are subject to chilling injury at the mature green stage when held at non-freezing temperatures below 15°C, but visual symptoms are usually expressed during ripening. Metabolic imbalances resulting from low temperature alteration of membrane properties could lead to toxic accumulations of stress metabolites before such visual symptoms of chilling injury. Mature green fruit of chilling-sensitive tomato cultivars New Yorker (large) and Early Cherry (cherry) along with the chilling-tolerant breeding lines 79–546 (large) and 281 (cherry) were stored at 2°C. Fruit were removed after 0, 5, 10 and 15 days and examined both after chilling and after ripening at 20°C. Internal gas samples were vacuum collected (250 mm Hg) from submerged fruit followed by simultaneous gas chromatographic analysis of ethane, methanol, acetaldehyde and ethanol. Significant concentrations of methanol and ethanol were detected at the pink and red stages of all cultivars but were unrelated to the degree of chilling sensitivity of the cultivar. Interestingly enough mature green fruit produced no detectable amounts of these compounds during the chilling treatment, during adaptation to 20°C, nor at any time prior to the breaker stage and visible injury. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
