Good results of Passive Modified Atmosphere to avoid chilling injury in long therm storage of pomegranate

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) var. wonderful is a non-climateric fruit from tropical and subtropical?climates and highly susceptible to chilling injury (CI) at temperatures less than 5 ?C, generating?a loss of quality. The harvest seasons in Chile is very short, concentrating in the months of March?and April. Due this short harvest period, different country and cultivars have different storages?strategies. However, stored pomegranate for several months, can exhibit loss of quality, such as?weight loss, decay caused by fungi, husk scald and chilling injury (CI) symptoms.? CI is a physiological?disorder caused by low temperatures just above freezing, reducing the period that fruit can storage.Unfortunately, the information available of optimal storage condition of pomegranate is very limited.The passive modified atmosphere with low levels of O2 and high levels of CO2 can result like an?alternative of storage for pomegranate. To understand the physiological disorders during cold storage,?different conditions were applied: - packing in passive modified atmosphere (PMA) and - packing?in macro-perforated bags (CM). Treated fruit were stored in a cold chamber (2 ? 1?C; 85 % RH) and?samples of different conditions were taken at days 0, 20, 60, 100 and 120 (more 3 days at 20 ?C).?A set of fruit at room temperature (20 ?C) was used as a control. For each sample and date, quality?parameters, chilling injury index and membrane damage were determined. The results showed that?CI in pomegranates were development at 100 days of storage at 2 ? 1?C and that the storage in?passive modified atmosphere did delays symptoms chilling injury and loss of firmness compared to?control. This research was support by FONDECYT project 1140817.SourcesEffect of passive modified atmosphere on symptoms of chilling?injury in pomegranate (Punica granatum cv. Wonderful)M?nika A. Valdenegro1, C. Huidobro2, L. Monsalve2,?M. Bernales1, L. Fuentes3, R. Simpson41 Escuela de Agronom?a, Facultad de Ciencias Agron?micas y de los Alimentos, Pontificia Universidad Cat?lica de Valpara?so,?Calle San Francisco s/n, Quillota, Chile. @comunidadpucv2 Instituto de Qu?mica, Bioqu?mica, Pontificia Universidad Cat?lica de Chile, Valpara?so, Chile.3 Centro Regional de Estudios en Alimentos Saludables (CREAS), CONICYT-Regional GORE Valpara?so ProyectoR12C1001. Avenida Universidad 330, Placilla, Curauma. Valpara?so, Chile.4 Departamento de Ingenier?a Qu?mica y Ambiental, Universidad T?cnica Federico Santa Mar?a, Avenida Espa?a 1680,Valpara?so, ChileIX Congreso Iberoamericano Tecnolog?a, Postcosecha y Agroexportaciones, November 29th to 1st December 2017, Santiago de Chile. Book of abstractsPicture?Expert system on pomegranate