Abstract:

The post-harvest physiology and mechanism of pericarp browning of ‘Xinjiang bigger seeds’ pomegranates under controlled atmosphere storages were studied. The result showed that soluble solids, and titratable acid content of pomegranate fruits decreased gradually during storage. Meanwhile, the MDA content and membrane permeability of pericarp slowly increased. The peel polyphenol oxidase activity showed a declining trend and the content of phenolic substances declined slightly after the early increase with extension of preservation. Compared with the fruit stored at 8℃, the CA treatments significantly alleviated the increase of membrane permeability reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, inhibited the polyphenol oxidase activity and decreased the oxidation of phenolic substances of the pomegranate pericarp. The combination of 5% CO2 with 3%-5% O2 was recommended CA storage conditions for ‘Xinjiang bigger seeds’ pomegranate.