Effect of Preharvest Bagging and Postharvest 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) Treatment on the Fruit Quality Attributes in Cold Stored 'Gamhong' Apple

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of preharvest bagging and postharvest 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the fruit quality attributes in cold stored ‘Gamhong’ apple [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.]. Fruit with bagging and non-bagging were harvested at the experimental orchard of Apple Research Station, treated with 1µL·L^-1 1-MCP for 20 h at 20 °C, and stored in air at 0 °C for 6 months. At harvest, preharvest bagging treatment reduced respiration rate and ethylene production, compared to non-bagging fruit. 1-MCP treatment reduced ethylene production in both bagging and non-bagging during cold storage. Ethylene production between bagging and non-bagging was not affected by 1-MCP treatment. Ethylene production tended to increase after 3 months storage in the control fruit with non-bagging. In contrast, respiration rate was not different between bagging and non-bagging during cold storage. Flesh firmness and titratable acidity (TA) in 1-MCP treated fruit were not changed over the cold storage while flesh firmness in control fruit was rapidly decreased irrespective of bagging treatment. Flesh firmness was likely to be effectively maintained in fruit with bagging than in fruit with non-bagging. Soluble solids concentration (SSC) at harvest was higher in fruit with non-bagging than in fruit with bagging and the response of SSC was not changed throughout the storage. Fruit weight loss was significantly decreased by 1-MCP treatment during storage. Overall, the results suggest that 1-MCP treatment would be highly effective on retarding the alteration of fruit quality attributes in ‘Gamhong’ apple, regardless of the preharvest bagging.