ISHS Acta Horticulturae 258: International Symposium on Postharvest Handling of Fruit and Vegetables
ULTRASTRUCTURAL AND MICROSTEREOLOGICAL STUDY OF AGING IN GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES DURING COLD STORAGE |
| Authors: | T. de Barsy, R. Deltour, R. Bronchart |
| Abstract:
Ultrastructural modifications due to aging in Golden Delicious apples during 7 months of storage at 1°C in air were described and, for the first time, quantified by means of microstereology. At harvest, electron microscopy revealed that cells of the skin were healthy whereas flesh cells had already begun to age. Microstereology corroborated differences between the skin and the flesh and quantified the increasing of aging during the storage. After 3 months, the loss of the plastidial volume was about 43% in flesh cells. The cytoplasmic and mitochondrial volumes of flesh and skin cells decreased from 15 to 18%. After 7 months, the diminution reached 85% for plastidial and mitochondrial volumes in the skin. In the flesh, only few mitochondria, fragments of membranes and vesicles could be recognized. The hypothesis that apples harvested sooner before when flesh cells begin to age could withstand long term storage better is briefly discussed. | |
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