Journal of Taiwan Agricultural Research

Author:Pai-Chi Syue, Chia-Hui Tang, Ching-San Kuan, and Tan-Cha Lee*

Abstract:

    Although both cold and room temperatures are used for storage of pineapple fruits in industry, 5℃ is currently more common storage temperature for this commodity than 12.5℃ or 25℃.  The purpose of this study is to investigate the optimum storage temperature for ‘TN 17’ pineapple fruit, a dominant cultivar in Taiwan.  Our results showed that ‘TN 17’ pineapple fruits developed severe internal browning of fruit tissues (browning intensity index 5 or > 50% browning tissue area) and had lost marketability after 2 weeks at 5℃ plus 4 days shelf (25℃); in contrast, the discoloration symptom of the fruits stored at 12.5℃ was less obvious (browning intensity index 1 or 1–2% browning tissue area) for the same storage period.  The phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POD) activities of ‘TN 17’ pineapple fruits stored at 12.5℃ or 25℃ plus 4 days at 25℃ increased with storage time; but the enzyme activities of PAL and POD of the 5℃-treated fruits were significantly lower than those of fruits stored at 12.5℃.  Moreover, the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity of 12.5℃-treated fruits was significantly higher than those of 5℃- or 12.5℃-treated samples, though the enzyme activity of all the three treatments decreased with storage time.

Key words:Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, Polyphenol oxidase, Peroxidase, Senescence, Chilling injury

Download: PDF Links