Effects of temperature on gas exchange of ‘Braeburn’ apples

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Abstract
Gas exchange attributes of fruits affect their responses to modified atmosphere and surface coating treatments. In this study, variations in respiration rate, internal partial pressures of O2 and CO2, and skin permeance to O2 and CO2 associated with storage at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30°C were characterised in ‘Braeburn’ apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) There was an 11‐fold difference in respiration rate between fruit kept at 0 and 30°C, although permeance to each of the two respiratory gases differed only by a factor of two. The differing effects of temperature upon these two variables was responsible for the depression of internal O2 and elevation of internal CO2associated with increase in temperature from 0 to 30°C. The magnitude of decline in internal O2 was slightly greater than the increase in internal CO2 over the temperature range in the experiment. For apples that were respiring aerobically, and with a respiratory quotient of unity, this would indicate that the fruit skin had a somewhat higher permeance to CO2 than to O2, Permeance values for the two respiratory gases were strongly related but permeance to CO2 exceeded that to O2 for fruit with a low permeance to O2. This is attributable to the greater ease of diffusion of CO2 through the cuticle, an effect which became more pronounced as transcuticular diffusion was facilitated at high temperatures. Given the importance of internal atmosphere composition in affecting respiration rate and disorder development in apples, the gas exchange characteristics of ‘Braeburn’ appear likely to be influential in the outcome of different storage regimes.

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