Effect of MA Storage and 1-MCP on Storability and Quality of 'Sanuki Gold' Kiwifruit Harvested at Two Different Maturity Stages

The effects of modified atmosphere (MA) storage and application of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at harvest on the storability and quality of 'Sanuki Gold' kiwifruit harvested at two different maturity stages were investigated. MA storage in both fruit harvested early at 136 days after pollination (DAP) or late at 154 DAP delayed flesh softening, increase in soluble solid concentrations (SSC), decrease in titratable acids (TA), and reduction in fruit flesh color index compared to air stored fruit, suggesting that MA storage is effective in prolonging 'Sanuki Gold' kiwifruit storage life. Further, MA stored fruit did not attain full ripening flesh firmness and SSC thresholds even after 4 months of storage under MA conditions, suggesting that early harvested 'Sanuki Gold' kiwifruit can be stored for 4 months in MA. Fruit from both harvesting maturity stages stored under air conditions achieved maximum SSC (18%) values during storage, suggesting that two weeks early harvesting did not compromise edible quality characteristics. Only late harvested fruit treated with 1-MCP and stored in MA showed slight inhibitory effect specific to fruit softening during the first and second month of storage, suggesting that 1-MCP may have some limited ripening inhibitory effect during storage of 'Sanuki Gold' kiwifruit.