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- Author or Editor: Theophanes Solomos x
Farnesene and its conjugated triene oxidation products in apple peel are positively correlated with, and thought to be involved in, the storage disorder superficial scald. Levels of these compounds are often estimated by dipping fruit in hexane and measuring the absorbance of the crude extracts at 232 nm (farnesene) and 269 or 281 minus 290 nm (trienes). We have devised a C18 HPLC method with UV detection at 232 and 269 nm that allows the simultaneous quantitation of 80 ng of farnesene and trienes. Using this method we have confirmed the recent report that one conjugated trien-6-ol comprises 90% of the stable oxidation products of farnesene. It was also found that crude hexane extracts of apple peel can give spuriously high values for farnesene and/or trienes when levels of these compounds are low and other UV-absorbing components are present. A group of compounds unrelated to farnesene, with an absorbance maximum at ≈259 nm, were noted in the peel of cv. Gala apples, which produced little farnesene or trienol. This may explain the report that fruit with a high ratio of A258nm/A281nm in peel extracts have a low incidence of scald. The new HPLC method will be applied in subsequent studies of postharvest factors involved in regulation of farnesene synthesis and oxidation.
Previous observations have shown that the diffusivity of water vapors is much larger than the value that is predicted theoretically from the magnitude of the diffusion coefficient of CO2, C2H4, or both. This has been ascribed to the ability of water to diffuse through the cuticle and to the transport of water via the capillaries of cellulase micorfibrels to the surface of the lenticels, where it evaporates. We measured the diffusivity of CO2 in `Gala' and `Granny Smith' apples. The former are more permeable to CO2 than the latter cultivar, in particular after prolonged storage at 2°C. The diffusivity of H2O was 10- to 20-fold larger than that of CO2. Furthermore, the ratio of D(H2O)/D(CO2) was similar for both cultivars. Infiltration of dyes and gas flow through apples submerged in water show that in `Gala' apples, the number of open lenticels is larger than in `Granny Smith'. Thus, the data indicate that lenticels are the main avenue of gas exchange in apples.
Continuous postharvest treatment of carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. Elliot's White) with 50 or 100 mM aminotriazole significantly extended useful vase life relative to flowers held in distilled H2O. No morphological changes symptomatic of floral senescence appeared in treated flowers until 12 to 15 days after harvest. The longevity of aminotriazole-treated flowers was extended to ≈18 days. The respiratory rate of aminotriazole-treated carnations was suppressed, and they exhibited no respiratory climacteric throughout the period of observation. The responsiveness of aminotriazole-treated flowers to exogenous ethylene appeared temporally regulated. Flowers treated with 50 mM aminotriazole for 2 days senesced in response to application of 10 μl exogenous ethylene/liter, whereas flowers treated for 24 days exhibited no morphological response to ethylene treatment. Chemical name used: 3-1H-amino-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl (aminotriazole).
Sim-type carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus L., cv. Elliot's White) continuously treated with 50 mM or 100 mM 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (amitrole) and held in the dark at 18°C did not exhibit a respiratory climacteric relative to dH2O-treated controls. No morphological changes symptomatic of floral senescence appeared in treated flowers until 12-15 days post-harvest. Other triazoles were not effective in prolonging senescence. Amitrole appears to inhibit ethylene biosynthesis by blocking the enzyme-mediated conversion of S-adenosyl-L-methionine to 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate. Ethylene action appears to be progressively inhibited in that flowers held in treatment solution for 2 d or less responded to application of 10 uL/L exogenous ethylene whereas flowers held 10 d or longer exhibited no response. Electrophoretic resolution of total crude extracts evidenced protein synthesis as well as degradation. Western analysis and total activity assays showed an amitrole concentration-specific inhibition of catalase activity.
We have studied the effects of MCP and low O2, applied singly and in combination, on apple fruit ripening at 1, 7, and 18 °C. The single application of 2 ppm MCP is more effective in delaying the onset of the C2H4 climacteric than is 1% O2. However, the combined application has a much larger effect than the single applications of either MCP or 1% O2. For instance, at 7 °C, the onset of the C2H4 climacteric occurs at 15, 50, and 90–95 days for the controls, 1% O2 and 2 ppm MCP, respectively, whereas the combined application of 2 ppm MCP and 1% O2 suppressed the initiation of the C2H4 climacteric for 200 days, the duration of the experiment. The retardation of the climacteric onset by the treatments is associated with the suppression of ACC-synthase (ACS1) and the putative receptor ERS1. The accumulation of their transcripts is critically dependent on the rate of C2H4 evolution. As expected, the combined application of MCP and 1% O2 completely suppressed the expression of both genes. Yet when the fruits were transferred to 18 °C in air, they ripened normally. A similar pattern of inhibition in response to the above treatments was also observed with a C2H4-dependent MAPK. The expression of ETR1, ETR2 and ACC-oxidase was not affected by the treatments. The nature of this strong effect of the combined application of MCP and low O2 is not clear. It should be pointed out that MCP does not inhibit the induction of hypoxic proteins such as ADH.
Abstract
Postharvest flower fresh weight of Zinnia elegans Jacq. increased when held in solutions containing 200 mg liter-1 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8-HQC) and sucrose and decreased when held in deionized water. Ethylene biosynthesis was enhanced by holding flowers in solutions of 8-HQC + 1, 2% or 3% sucrose compared with deionized water where ethylene release was low initially and remained low. Carbon dioxide evolution declined sharply the first 2 days postharvest and remained low for flowers held in deionized water, but remained at initial levels for those held in 200 mg liter-1 8-HQC + 3% sucrose. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose in ray florets declined to levels barely detectable if flowers were held in deionized water but increased if held in 200 mg liter-1 8-HQC + 3% sucrose. The induction of ethylene biogenesis may be an injury response caused by sucrose.
Abstract
Respiration of flower-buds of Pyrus communis L., a late blooming species, and P. calleryana, an early blooming species, was investigated throughout the winter. Respiration of P. calleryana Decne at 5°C was twice as high as that of P. communis, whereas the respiration rates were similar at 25°. A large portion (60–70%) of the respiration at 5° was cyanide resistant in P. calleryana and much less in P. communis. The combination of inhibitors, cyanide (KCN) and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM), still only partially inhibited respiration. The residual respiration was much higher for P. calleryana than for P. communis. The nature of the residual respiration is not known.
Abstract
Ethylene evolution rate and percentage of soluble solids of thornless blackberry (Rubus sp.) increased with maturity and ripening, while titratable acidity decreased. Following harvest of “purple” fruits, their respiration and ethylene evolution rates increased during 7 days at 25°C. Ethylene evolution rates and differences in shelf-life among cultivars were inversely related. We conclude that thornless blackberry is a climacteric fruit.