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Extension of Postharvest Life of Bell Peppers with Low Oxygen
Author(s) -
Luo Yaguang,
Mikitzel Loretta J
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199601)70:1<115::aid-jsfa477>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - postharvest , titratable acid , chemistry , liter , horticulture , oxygen , ethylene , respiration , food preservation , nitrogen , food science , zoology , botany , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , endocrinology , catalysis
Green bell peppers ( Capsicum annum L cv California Wonder) were stored in oxygen/nitrogen mixtures at 10, 30, 50, 70 and 210 (air) ml O 2 litre −1 for 4 weeks at 10°C. Decay, weight loss, colour, titratable acidity and soluble solids contents, internal CO 2 and ethylene were evaluated. After 2 weeks, 33% of the air‐stored peppers had decayed while only 9% of those stored in 10 ml litre −1 O 2 had decayed. The benefit of 10 ml litre −1 O 2 in reducing decay continued through 4 weeks of storage. The 30 and 50 ml litre −1 O 2 atmospheres slightly reduced decay for a short time while the incidence of decay in 70 ml litre −1 O 2 was not different from the control. Peppers stored in 10 ml litre −1 O 2 had significantly lower internal CO 2 than the air control and other low O 2 treatments. A slower decrease in green colour of peppers stored in low O 2 indicates a retardation of colour change by low O 2 treatments during storage. Low respiration and ethylene synthesis rates may be the primary factors in quality retention.