444 Changes in Quality and Maturity of Late-season Peaches (cvs. O'Henry and Nos 21) during Maturation and Ripening

• Published in: HortScience Vol. 34; no. 3; p. 521
• Main Authors: Reginato, G.H, Luchsinger, L.E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.1999
• ISSN: 0018-5345; 2327-9834
• DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.34.3.521A

Our objectives were to characterize the quality and maturity changes of peach [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch.] fruit cvs. O'Henry and Nos 21 during maturation and ripening and to identify harvest maturity indices by relating nondestructive and destructive variables. After fruit set, 400 fruit of similar diameter and tree position were tagged to follow maturation and ripening on the tree. During commercial harvest, 48 fruit were ramdomly harvested every 4 to 6 days. Ethylene evolution rate (EER) at 20 °C, fresh weight, and peel ground and cover color (L * , a * , b * , C * and Hue value) were measured to all 48 fruit. Flesh color, firmness at several fruit points, soluble solids (SS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), and SS/TA ratio were measured only to 24 fruit, and the rest were held for up to 7 days at 20 °C as a ripening period to measure the same characteristics previously mentioned. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined between variables to explore possible harvest maturity indices. The most significant changes occurred in EER and ground color (a * value) for both varieties and fresh weight only for cv. O'Henry. For `O'Henry' peaches the highest correlation ( P < 0.001) was obtained between EER-suture firmness ( r = -0.61). For cv. Nos 21 the highest correlation was between EER-shoulder firmness ( r = -0.69). It was also found that fruit softening occurred mainly in the fruit shoulder for both cultivars. Therefore, no harvest maturity indices could be established for these cultivars.