International Journal of Horticulture, 2017, Vol.7, No. 8, 54-63
59
Figure 1 Hedonic rating and juice content of Red delicious apple before transportation and after one month storage (5±1°C, 95% RH)
at Bheri cold store, Kohalpur, Banke, Nepal for two consecutive years (2013-2014)
3.5 Fruit Firmness, Starch Index and Blush intensity
At maturity stage, mean firmness was 8.1 kg/cm
2
. Firmness of fruits decreased after transportation and storage
(Figure 2). Lowest firmness was recorded in 3 ply Beer cartons (6.2 kg/cm
2
) while higher in other treatments. This
evidence indicates that fruits packed in 3 ply Beer cartons degraded faster due to low aeration as well as more
physical damage during transportation. A major quality problem of apples in the market is soft fruit which is
typically assessed using a puncture test, also known as a flesh firmness, fruit firmness, or fruit pressure test.
Softening is generally considered an undesirable ripening process in apple fruit, as firmer apples tend to be juicier,
crispier , crunchier and less mealy than softer fruit. The softening of flesh during storage could be due to the
degradation of soluble pectin by high activity of endo-poly-galacturonase enzyme in fruits (Jason et al., 2002;
Harker et al., 2002). Jaeger et al. (1998) reported that apples that have crisp, juicy texture and prolong shelf life
are highly preferred by the consumers. At maturity stage, average starch index of apple fruits was 4.1. Starch
index increased (level of starch decreased) during transportation and storage (Figure 2). Higher starch index
(5.8)
was recorded in 3 ply Beer cartons followed by 7 ply FDD CFB boxes (5.7) while lower (5.5) in other treatments.
