The complexity of preventing diffuse skin browning (DSB) on 1-MCP (SmartFreshSM)-treated 'Golden Delicious' apple.

DSB is a peel damage induced by 1-MCP treatment on 'Golden Delicious' apples after cold storage. Previous studies have shown that gradual cooling of the apples may prevent DSB. In this study, harvested 'Golden Delicious' apples were cooled to 7°C and treated with 1-MCP at different times after harvest (1, 10, 15 or 20 days), followed by a gradual cooling procedure and stored for 6 months at 0°C in regular air (RA). DSB developed only on apples treated with 1-MCP 1 day after harvest. It may be concluded that gradual cooling following treatment in itself is not enough to prevent DSB but a delay in the application of the 1-MCP treatment is required. Some physiological and quality parameters were examined to evaluate the influence of the delay in 1-MCP application.