Effects of Different Postharvest Storage Methods on the Quality Parameters of Chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.)

This trial was initiated in the harvest season of 2010 to determine the effects of traditional and cold storage on the fruit quality properties of chestnuts during the harvest and postharvest periods. Physical and biochemical analyses were conducted on fruit samples collected about once every 2 weeks from the middle of September until the end of December. Specifically, the shell and kernel colors (hue, chroma), water activity (aw), and total sugar (%), total starch (%), total carbohydrate (%), and tannin (ppm) contents were determined. Under traditional and cold storage conditions, the total sugar content of the chestnuts increased whereas the total starch content decreased during the storage period. In addition, the maximum tannin content was measured in fruit that was cold stored for a period of 60 days.