The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of controlled atmosphere conditions on the quality of 'Royal Gala' apples of small-size (5-6cm of diameter) and large-size (8-9cm of diameter). Fruit were kept during 8 months in controlled atmosphere, followed by 7 days of shelf-life at 20°C. According to the results, controlled atmosphere with 1.5kPa O2 + 3.0kPa CO2 decreased internal breakdown and maintained the highest level of tritable acidity on small size fruit. Large size fruit stored on controlled atmosphere condition with 1.0kPa O2 + 3.0kPa CO2 had higher flesh firmness and elevated tritable acidity, showing therefore better quality than fruits stored on the other evaluated conditions. Small size fruit maintained greener skin background colour and lower rot incidence than large size fruit.
Malus domestica Borkh.; postharvest; conservation; controlled atmosphere
