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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Commodity Protection and Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #296169
Title: Influence of cold storage prior to and after ripening on quality factors and sensory attributes of ‘Hass’ avocados

Author
item ARPAIA, M.L. - Kearney Agricultural Center
item COLLIN, S - Kearney Agricultural Center
item SIEVERT, J - Kearney Agricultural Center
item Obenland, David - Dave

Submitted to: Postharvest Biology and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2015
Publication Date: 8/30/2015
Citation: Arpaia, M., Collin, S., Sievert, J., Obenland, D.M. 2015. Influence of cold storage prior to and after ripening on quality factors and sensory attributes of ‘Hass’ avocados. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 110:149-157.

Interpretive Summary: Partially-ripened avocados are often held in cold storage in an attempt to make it easier to deliver ripe fruit to food service or retail outlets, although the effect of this practice on fruit quality was unknown. Holding avocados that were almost ripe in the cold for up to two weeks was found to have no effect on the quality of the fruit. Taste panels could detect no meaningful differences between fruit ripened before or after cold storage. This research helps validate a commercial practice that will help ensure the consistent availability of ripe avocados to both food service organizations and consumers and help maintain or enhance the profitability of the avocado industry.

Technical Abstract: Partially-ripened avocados are often held in cold storage in an attempt to enable the consistent delivery of ripe fruit to food service or retail outlets, although the effect on the quality of such fruit is incompletely understood. ‘Hass’ avocados were ripened to near ripeness (13.3 - 17.8 N) at 20 °C and then placed at either 1 °C or 5 °C for 7 d or 14 d, ripened to eating firmness (4.4-6.7 N), and then evaluated for quality and sensory attributes. Avocados that had not been ripened prior to storage but held at 5 °C for the same amount of time prior to final ripening acted as controls. The experiment was repeated monthly from March through August to determine the effect of fruit maturity on the response to ripening treatment. For seventeen of the twenty-two quality attributes evaluated there was no change due to harvest date or time of ripening. Color development was slightly retarded in fruit that had been held in cold storage after ripening. Seed germination was more common in fruit from the final harvest in August in comparison to earlier harvests, but ripening prior to cold storage did not affect its prevalence. Uneven ripening and body rots were a greater issue in fruit from the earliest harvest in March, although both were only relatively minor defects, regardless of ripening treatment. Sensory panelists liked fruit ripened prior to or after cold storage equally well and there were no differences among the ripening treatments, within a storage time, in the level of rich, nutty or grassy attributes that composed the fruit flavor. There were statistically-significant differences in the degree of textural creaminess among the ripening treatments, although these differences were inconsistent and slight. Storing ‘Hass’ avocados that are in near-ripe stage for up to 14 d at either 1 °C or 5 °C does not significantly alter avocado quality and is a practice that can be safely utilized commercially.