Abstract
Fuji apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is a popular fruit cultivar and occupies an important position in the fruit market due to its excellent flavor and storage quality. Ethylene emission can induce respiration, which would reduce postharvest quality and increase storage losses. In order to maintain fruit quality and extend shelf life, apples are usually stored in a low-temperature environment after harvest to reduce the formation of ethylene. Volatile aroma components are regarded as one of the most important aspects of flavor quality and a key factor for apple quality grading and customer satisfaction. Ethylene emission and its relationship with volatile aromas during low temperature, however, have not been determined. In this study, the dynamic changes of volatile aroma compounds of Fuji apples stored at 4 °C were detected and analyzed for 42 days. The variation of ethylene released from Fuji apple was studied correspondingly. The results showed that ethyl butyrate, ethyl caproate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate and 2-methylbutyl acetate were the main aroma components of Fuji apple. The change in ethylene emission and the normalized peak area of volatile aroma compounds exhibited a similar tendency that increased significantly from the 3rd day to the peak on the 14th day and then decreased; there was a positive linear correlation between them with a correlation coefficient of 0.79 (P < 0.05). Therefore, ethylene release can be used as a potential indicator for evaluation of volatile aroma compounds in apples. Using ethylene emission as an indicator could reduce the difficulty and complexity of volatile aroma evaluation, which could be a new non-destructive inspection choice for apple flavor quality assessment.
