New approaches in pear preservation: Putrescine and modified atmosphere packaging applications to maintain fruit...

Pear (P. communis L.), which is a climacteric fruit species, has a very short storage and shelf life, and significant losses occur due to high metabolic activity and the fruit's respiration rate after harvest. Therefore, preventing or reducing post-harvest quality losses in pear is one of the most basic problems awaiting solution. In this study, we planned for this purpose; the fruits of the Ankara pear cultivar treated with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), putrescine (1 mM), and MAP + putrescine were stored for 120 days at 1°C and 90 ± 5% relative humidity. The quality analyses and measurements, such as weight loss, decay rate, fruit firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, organic acids, and specific phenolic compounds, were performed on the 30th, 60th, 90th, and 120th days. Weight loss and decay ratios were lower for putrescine and putrescine + MAP-applied fruit. With these applications, the softening of the fruit was slowed down, and the increasing SSC in the fruit and the decreasing TA rates were lower, and thus the ripening of the fruit was delayed. Changes in individual phenolic content and organic acids were lower in MAP and putrescine-applied fruit. The study revealed that MAP and putrescine applications in pear can be used effectively to maintain fruit quality after harvest.