MICROBIAL-POPULATIONS OF BOTRYTIS-CINEREA INOCULATED STRAWBERRY FRUITEXPOSED TO 4 VOLATILE COMPOUNDS

Aerobic, microaerophilic, coliform, and mold populations of Botrytis c inerea-inoculated strawberry fruit not exposed (control) or exposed to low and high quantities of four volatile compounds during storage at 2 degrees C were determined after storage for 7 days and after removal of the volatile and transfer to 22 degrees C for 3 days. Fruit harves ted at the ripe stage were inoculated with 10(6) conidia B. cinerea pe r mi and were placed in plastic containers containing no volatile comp ound (control) or two quantities of (E)-2-hexenal (10 or 100 mu l), (E )-2-hexenal diethyl acetal (30 or 300 mu l), benzaldehyde (30 or 300 m u l), or methyl benzoate (12 or 60 mu l) The fruit containers were ove rwrapped with a low-density polyethylene film, sealed, stored at 2 deg rees C for 7 days, and then transferred to 22 degrees C for 3 days. Ae robic, microaerophilic, and coliform populations of fruit exposed to v olatile compounds tended to be lower than the controls after storage a t 2 degrees C for 7 days and, depending on the volatile compound, simi lar, lower, or higher than the controls after transfer and storage at 22 degrees C. However, due to variability in initial aerobic, microaer ophilic, and coliform populations of the fruit used in the different t rials (P < 0.05), none of the differences between control and treatmen t and between treatments within a sample time were significant (P > 0. 05). Strawberry fruit exposed to 100 mu l of (E)-2-hexenal was the onl y treatment that did not show a significant increase in mold populatio ns after transfer and storage at 22 degrees C for 3 days. Additional s tudies are needed to determine if (E)-2-hexenal can be used in combina tion with other postharvest storage conditions, such as low temperatur e and controlled/modified atmosphere, to delay mold spoilage and exten d the shelf life of the strawberry.