Storage life and deterioration of intact cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus) fruit treated with 1-methylcyclopropene and fresh-cut cantaloupe prepared from fruit treated with 1-methylcyclopropene before processing

A study was conducted to determine the influence of the ethylene action inhibitor, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), on the shelf life and deterioration during storage at 5 degrees C of intact netted muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. var. reticulatus) fruit and fresh-cut cubes prepared from those fruit. 'Durango', 'Magellan', and '7920' fruit (3/4 to full-slip stage) were treated with 1-MCP (1.0 mu L-L-1) for 24 h at 20 degrees C. Preliminary research with 'Athena' muskmelon had shown that the more physiologically advanced distal pericarp tissue developed significantly more watersoaking than the less advanced proximal and center portions during 5 degrees C storage; therefore, after treatment with 1-MCP and cooling to 5 degrees C, the center portions of the fruit were used to prepare the fresh-cut samples. Fresh-cut cubes and intact fruit were stored for 12 d at 5 degrees C. Intact fruit of all tested cultivars responded to 1-MCP application with improved firmness retention during storage, but no watersoaking was observed in intact fruit. The effect of 1-MCP treatment on the firmness retention and watersoaking of fresh-cut cubes from the different cultivars was inconsistent. Exposure of muskmelon fruit to 1-MCP did not significantly influence the flesh color or soluble solid contents of either intact fruit or fresh-cut cubes during storage at 5 degrees C.