Apple Quality during Shelf-Life after Long-Term Storage and Simulated Transport

With the high production of apples in Poland, the priority actions include increasing their export volume. The main objective of the presented research was to maintain sufficient firmness in the apple cultivar Gala Schniga® SchniCo Red(s) transported to distant markets immediately after harvest or after long-term storage under ULO conditions (1.2% CO2 and 1.2% O2). In the study conducted during the 2021/2022 storage season on apples from the experimental orchard of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW-WULS; Warsaw-52°14′ N, 21°1′ E), the effect of the pre- and post-harvest application of 1-MCP, harvest date, and simulated transport duration on the quality of apples in target retail trading conditions was evaluated. Apples collected on a given harvest date were divided into four samples: control (without the use of 1-MCP), Harvista™-sprayed, SmartFresh™-treated, and Harvista™-sprayed + SmartFresh™-treated. Immediately after harvest and after 9 months of storage, the apples were packed in boxes and stored at 1 °C for 6 and 8 weeks (simulated transport conditions). Directly after the simulated transport and after an additional 7 and 14 days at 25 °C (handling conditions in hot countries), the following parameters were determined: firmness, SSC, TA, and ethylene production. The study noted a significant effect of the use of 1-MCP, harvest time, and simulated transport period on all tested parameters. Apples from trees sprayed with Harvista™ maintained a firmness of >55 N for 14 days of shelf-life only if they were harvested at the optimal date and transported immediately after harvest, and if their shipping lasted 6 weeks. Such firmness could be preserved after 8 weeks of the transport of SmartFresh™-treated apples harvested at the optimal date, and of Harvista™-sprayed + SmartFresh™-treated apples harvested at a delayed date. In the latter combination, apples also maintained the desired firmness after 9 months of storage + 6 weeks of transport regardless of the harvest date.