The present study determined the impact of 1-mcp treatment on the quality maintenance of 'Fuyu' persimmons, and how the postharvest exposure to ethylene could influence the 1-MCP effectiveness. The fruits were harvested at four different ripening stages according to skin color, after physiologic maturity. Fruits were treated with 0.1 and 1.0 µL ·L-1 of 1-MCP one day after harvest, and then held at 23ºC for up to 45 days in air with low (d" 0,1 µL ·L-1) or high (3 ± 2 µL ·L-1) ethylene . 1-MCP treatment delayed fruit softening and changes of skin color and the increase in the ethylene production, whereas it had no effect on soluble solids content and on titratable acidity. The postharvest life (period between harvest and pulp softening) of fruits was increased for up to 20 days in comparison to control fruits. Persimmons harvested at advanced ripening stages had shorter postharvest life, regardless of 1-MCP treatment. The effectiveness of 1-MCP treatment was more pronounced in fruits harvested at early stages and for fruits exposed to 3 µL ·L-1 ethylene.
Diospyros kaki; flesh firmness; 1-MCP
