ISHS Acta Horticulturae 768: XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on The Role of Postharvest Technology in the Globalisation of Horticulture
EFFECTIVENESS OF HIGH PRESSURE TREATMENT AT LOW TEMPERATURE TO IMPROVE POSTHARVEST LIFE OF HORTICULTURAL COMMODITIES |
| Authors: | T. Baba, S. Ito, F. Ikeda, M. Manago |
| Keywords: | mume, sweet basil, rocket-salad, chilling injury, ethylene production, respiration, weight loss |
| Abstract:
This study was conducted to evaluate whether high pressure treatment (HPT) at low temperature could prolong postharvest life of fruit and vegetables including chilling sensitive (CS) and non-chilling sensitive (NCS) commodities. Mume (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc., CS) fruit, sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L., CS) and rocket-salad (Eruca sativa Mill., NCS) leaves were subjected to HPT below 0.5 MPa at 4°C. Pressure was generated with compressed air in a high pressure unit (OM labotech, Japan). Physical and physiological changes of fruit and leaves subjected to HPT at low temperature were investigated. For mume fruit, HPT of 0.5 MPa for 10 d at 4°C prevented discoloration of the fruit and reduced chilling injuries such as skin pitting and browning. No symptoms of deterioration appeared after transfer to atmospheric pressure at 25°C. The responses were greater than those reported previously for HPT at room temperature. Leaves of sweet basil exhibited severe browning injury at 0.5 and 0.1 MPa, but HPT at 0.025 MPa was effective in inhibiting chilling injuries. HPT of 0.025 MPa also prevented yellowing and fungal growth on rocket-salad leaves (NCS) during a two month storage period. These results suggest that HPT storage at low temperature is effective in improving postharvest life of some fruit and vegetables including CS commodities. However, the optimal pressure to maximize the beneficial effects varies greatly depending on the commodity. | |
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