Shelf life of custard apple treated with 1-methylciclopropene: an antagonist to the ethylene action

Abstract

Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) presents very short storage life at room temperature, in part due to heavy losses in firmness. This process is associated with the production and action of the hormone ethylene. In order to retard the ripening evolution in custard apple, fruits were treated with the competitive ethylene antagonist 1-methycyclopropene (1-MCP) at concentrations of 0, 30, 90, 270 or 810 nL L-1 for 12 h at 25ºC and then stored at 25ºC for four days. The soluble solids content (SSC), firmness and percentage of ripe fruits (firmness < 0.5kg) were determined during the experimental period. There were no differences among treatments as to the SSC. Fruits treated with 810 nL L-1 of 1-MCP showed higher firmness than the control fruits. Both , non-treated or treated fruits with 30 or 90 nL L-1 ripened faster than fruits treated with 1-MCP at higher concentrations.