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Combination of precooling with ozone fumigation or low fluctuation of temperature for the quality modifications of postharvest sweet cherries
Author(s) -
Liu Ziyun,
Li Wenhan,
Zhai Xuqing,
Li Xihong
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/jfpp.15504
Subject(s) - fumigation , postharvest , ozone , chemistry , titratable acid , horticulture , shelf life , softening , cold storage , relative humidity , moisture , food science , botany , biology , meteorology , materials science , organic chemistry , physics , composite material
The ozone fumigation device with the self‐circulation function and the low‐temperature fluctuation box with precise temperature control were, respectively, designed to study the effect of the combination of vacuum precooling with ozone fumigation or low‐temperature fluctuation treatment in the quality modifications of sweet cherries during cold storage. The results showed that all the three treatments had a positive effect on quality maintenance. Although precooling combined with low‐temperature fluctuation slightly damaged the fruit after 9 days of storage, the combination of precooling and ozone can better maintain the luster of the fruit and retain the content of total soluble solids, the titratable acid, and anthocyanin during the entire storage period. Meanwhile, it delayed fruit softening, inhibited the accumulation of malondialdehyde and activity of polyphenol oxidase. Additionally, the ultrastructure and cell wall material content indicated that ozone stress could induce shrinkage of stoma and maintain morphology of cell wall and cell structure. Practical applications Sweet cherries are delicious and juicy, but they have quite a short shelf life, limited edible period, and high cost of deep processing. Refrigeration, precooling, and ozone are effective measures to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in the field of postharvest preservation. However, the large flow of personnel in the conventional walk‐in cold storage results in low precooling efficiency and significant temperature fluctuations, which make the cherries perishable. In addition, ozone has been evaluated as a promising disinfectant for fresh fruits, which may be used to induce resistance to postharvest decay of fruits and vegetables. Thus, in this study, a combination of precooling with ozone fumigation or low‐temperature fluctuation was used to explore the postharvest quality of sweet cherries. All results indicated that vacuum precooling combined with regular ozone fumigation treatment may be a promising technology for the preservation of sweet cherry fruit, which can effectively improve the storage quality.