Response of gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) to postharvest treatments with storage temperature and 1-MCP.

The effects of various low temperatures and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) pre-treatments on changes in physical, physiological, and phytochemical attributes, and in antioxidant activity of gac fruit were evaluated during storage. Low temperature regimes, including 4, 10, and 13oC had the greatest impacts on ripening, color changes, and bioactive compound content of gac fruit, compared to control at 25 o C. However, fruit stored at 4oC showed both external and internal chilling injury symptoms starting from day 25 of the storage. Low temperature greatly preserved the reduction of phenolics and antioxidant capacity detected by FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) during storage. 1-MCP fumigation at 500 nL.L -1 showed slight effect on retarding an increase of ethylene production and on delaying fruit softening during 10oC storage. Nevertheless 1-MCP had no effect on changes of peel color, phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of gac fruit.