EFFECTS OF METHYL JASMONATE FUMIGATION AND PACKAGING ON CHILLING INJURY AND PHYSIOCHEMICAL QUALITY CHANGES OF STORED GREEN BELL PEPPERS.

Karthikeyan Venkatachalam; Panyanan Thongbour; Muralidharan Nagarajan

Bell peppers are widely grown fruit with high nutritional and commercial value. However, prolonged low-temperature storage subjects bell peppers to a high risk of chilling injuries (CI). In this study, combination treatments with various concentrations of methyl jasmonate (0, 10, 20 & 30 mmol/L MeJA) and packing in oxygen transmission rate polyethylene bags (OTR-PE 5,000-6,000 cm³/m²/d) were explored to minimize the CI incidence in bell peppers under prolonged low temperature storage (4 °C and 90% RH). Untreated bell peppers (no MeJA treatment, no OTR-PE bag) were the control group, and bell peppers stored in OTR-PE bags without MeJA fumigation were included in comparisons. Sampling and other observation were done every 5 days over 30 days in total. In general, the 30 mmol/L MeJA treated bell peppers stored in OTR-PE bags were well controlled against CI induced changes in headspace gas, respiration rate, ethylene, color (L*, H° & C*), chlorophyll content, CI index, electrolytic leakage, weight loss, and firmness. Also, the lower MeJA concentrations (10 and 20 mmol/L MeJA) provided significant control of CI in bell peppers. These treatments retained high levels of ascorbic acid and free polyamines in the bell peppers. Packing in OTR-PE bags reduced the CI incidence compared to the control group. Overall, the MeJA treatments retained the commercial value of bell pepper fruit better (>80%) than the OTR-PE bags (33%) or the untreated control (23%) over 30 days of storage.

BELL pepper; LOW temperatures; POLYETHYLENE; JASMONATE; METHYLATION

Carpathian Journal of Food Science & Technology, 2018, Vol 10, Issue 2, p120

2066-6845

Academic Journal