Effect of Controlled Atmosphere on Storage Quality and Volatile Aroma of'Harlikar'Apples

WEI Wenwen; JIA Lianwen; AN Ronghui; LIAN Huan; YANG Xiangzheng; ZHANG Lijun

doi:10.19590/j.cnki.1008-1038.2025.10.001

Abstract：'Harlikar'apples are known for delicate flesh and unique taste,but they have poor storability.They are susceptible to physiological diseases like browning of the skin,flesh,and core for unknown reason.The firmness,soluble solids content,and aroma of apples also decreased during storage,which caused the fruits to lose original crispness,flavor and commercial value.This study investigated the effects of controlled atmosphere(CA)storage(2%-3%O2+1%-2%CO2)on the quality and volatile aroma of'Harlikar'apples by measuring indices including fruit firmness,soluble solids content,ethylene release rate,browning index,and volatile aroma compounds.The results showed that controlled atmosphere storage could significantly inhibit the decrease of fruit firmness.After stored 180 days and 5 days of shelf life at room temperature,the fruit firmness was increased by 10.3%and 22.5%respectively compared with cold storage.But CA had no significant effect on the content of soluble solids.Cold storage and controlled atmosphere storage reached the ethylene release peak at 60 days and 120 days respectively,with ethylene release rates of 3 293.2 μL/(kg·h)and 1 836.4 μL/(kg·h).Controlled atmosphere storage could not only delay the ethylene release peak but also reduce the peak ethylene release rate.After stored 180 days and 5 days of shelf life at room temperature,the α-farnesene contents of fruits storaged at cold storage and controlled atmosphere storage were 79.9 μg/kg and 25.3 μg/kg respectively.CA storage inhibited fruit browning during shelf life by reducing the α-farnesene content,and the fruit browning index was 85.7%lower than that of cold storage.In addition,the content of volatile aromas was significantly correlated with the ethylene release rate.CA treatment promoted the release of volatile aroma compounds such as esters and aldehydes during shelf life while inhibiting alcohol accumulation,and improved fruit flavor.