Cell Wall Changes and Partial Prevention of Fruit Softening in Prestorage Heat Treated ‘Anna’ Apples
✍ Scribed by Shalom, Noah Ben; Hanzon, Jacob; Pinto, Rivka; Lurie, Susan
- Book ID
- 101223668
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 373 KB
- Volume
- 72
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-5142
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✦ Synopsis
Prestorage heat treatment (38°C for 4 days) retarded the softening of 'Anna' apple fruits during 0°C storage. Fruit softening of unheated apples during storage was accompanied by changes in pectic substances: a decrease in uronic acid content in the carbonate-soluble fraction and an increase in the watersoluble fraction. Heat treatment partially inhibited the degradation of uronic acids in the cell wall. The degree of pectin methylation in both heated and nonheated fruit decreased during storage. In heat treated apple fruit the content of galactose and arabinose in the cell wall decreased during storage; in non-heated fruit only galactose decreased. We suggest that the inhibition of solubilisation of the carbonate soluble pectin fraction is one of the main factors contributing to the firmness retention caused by heat treatment. The loss of both arabinose and galactose in heat treated fruits may also play an as yet undefined role in the effect of heat treatment on fruit softening.