Effect of Different Treatments on the Evolution of Polyamines during Refrigerated Storage of Eggplants

SILVIA DEL C. RODRIGUEZ; BEATRIZ LOPEZ; ALICIA RAQUEL CHAVES

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2001 vol. 49 p. 4700 - 4705

0021-8561

The applicability of a thermal treatment was compared with modified-atmosphere (MA) storage inrelation to chilling injury (CI) and polyamines evolution in eggplants. Fruits underwent physiologicaldisorders at 3 °C, evidenced by the appearance of surface injuries at the third day of storage, and,after moving the fruits to 20 °C, by increased respiratory activity and more intense ethyleneproduction. Storage of fruits in sealed low-density polyethylene bags and a previous treatment withheated air (1 h at 35 °C) were both effective in retarding chilling injury, though the former wasbetter. Two free polyamines were found in cv. Black Nite: putrescine, in greater proportion, andspermidine. Putrescine increased in control (untreated) fruits stored at 3 °C in parallel with theexternal appearance of chilling injury, whereas this increase was either not exhibited or retardedin treated or MA stored fruits. Spermidine did not change in control fruits at 3 °C, remaining almostconstant over the whole storage period, whereas in heat- and MAP-treated fruits spermidine levelsexhibited a decrease.