EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURES ON PHYSIOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LOQUAT FRUIT

Loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. cv. Mogi) were harvested at t he ripe stage, packaged in perforated polyethylene him bags (0.15% per foration) and stored under different temperatures (1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 degrees C) for 20 and 60 days. The rates; of respiration and ethylene production at 20 degrees C were 62 ml CO2 kg(-1) h(-1) and 1.4 mu l k g(-1) h(-1), respectively, on the first day of storage, and were signi ficantly lower with lower storage temperatures. Weight loss and the in cidence of breakdown increased significantly with increasing storage t emperatures. There was a significant decline in malic acid and sucrose contents during storage, with a more rapid decrease at higher tempera tures. Skin colour and carotenoids progressively developed during the first 30 days of storage, and then remained steady for the remainder o f the storage period. The cryptoxanthin content increased 2.4-fold in fruit stored at 20 and 30 degrees C: but increased only slightly or un derwent a small decrease in fruit stored at less than or equal to 10 d egrees C. There was little change in total phenolics in fruit stored a t less than or equal to 10 degrees C. The fruit stored at 1 and 5 degr ees C retained their initial quality and chemical components for 30 da ys. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.