Effect of etylene, 1 -methylcyclopropane and 1-n-naphthylphthalamic treatments on fruit quality of apple cv. Golden Delicious during storage

The study was conducted at the Postharvest Physiology Laboratory of the Department of Horticulture at Isparta Applied Sciences University, during 2021-2022. The research aimed to investigate the effects of postharvest treatments on fruit quality of Golden Delicious apple variety. For this purpose, the apples were divided into four groups and the first group was treated with 625 ppb 1-MCP for 12 hours. The second group apples were exposed to 0.5 g/L ethylene. The third group was treated with 1 μg/L 1-N-Naphtylphthalamıc acid for 3 minutes and then 1-MCP for 12 hours under room conditions for combined treatment. The last (control) group was immersed in distilled water containing 0.1% Tween 20, under same conditions. After removing excess water from the fruit surface for 12 hours, the fruit were placed in plastic boxes and stored at 0℃ and 90-95% relative humidity (RH) for 6 months in cold rooms. During storage, changes in weight loss, fruit firmness, soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), skin color, ethylene production, respiration rate, and sensory attributes of the apples were determined. For shelf life studies, apples removed from cold storage were kept at 20°C and 60±5% RH for 7 days, and the same analyses were repeated. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the 1-MCP treatment significantly preserved the quality of apples, and there was no clear effect of NPA+1-MCP treatment on fruit quality compared to 1-MCP. As a result, it can be observed that Golden Delicious apples treated with 1-MCP can be successfully stored in air condition for 6 months at 0°C and 90-95% relative humidity.