Interactions between 1-MCP and Controlled Atmospheres on Quality and Storage Disorders of Fruits and Vegetables

The use of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) to maintain quality attributes of horticultural products has been investigated extensively. Commercial applications of 1-MCP (SmartFresh (TM)), are made to a range of horticultural crops, including avocados, bananas, melons, persimmons and tomatoes, but the majority of 1-MCP use is for apples. Apples are commonly kept in controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, and while 1-MCP can maintain the quality of fruit in air, the most consistent responses to 1-MCP are obtained when 1-MCP treated fruit are maintained in CA. An interesting feature of 1-MCP is the extent to which its use has revealed the interactions between ethylene production and the development of physiological storage disorders in a variety of fruits and vegetables. This has been especially true for apples because of their susceptibility to a wide range of disorders arising at least in part because of the extended storage periods routinely used. Here we review the effects of 1-MCP on quality and physiological disorders of fruits and vegetables, including studies on the interactions of 1-MCP with CA and modified atmosphere (MA) storage. We also present an overview of an international project on genomics and metabolomics concerning interactions between external carbon dioxide injury and flesh browning in CA stored apple fruit.