Prime valutazioni su epoca di raccolta e tecniche di conservazione di mele Pink Lady® Cripps Pink prodotte in ambiente pedemontano

For two years, experiments on picking time and storage technologies were carried out on Pink Lady apples grown in Cuneo area (hill), considering three harvest times, at one week intervals, and storing fruit over 180 days in different storage regimes. At harvest, on 20 fruits, the qualitative parameters (weight, colour, firmness, soluble solids, acidity and starch content) were measured and the Streif index (x 100) was calculated. Fruits were stored at 1 deg C using two different CA [CA sub (1) = 1.2% O2 and 0.8% CO2 and CA sub (2) = 2% O2 and 3% CO2] in comparison with the regular storage. At the end of storage, fruits coming from the three storage treatments after 7 days of shelf-life at 20 deg C were subjected to quality analysis, scored for storage disorders and submitted to sensory analyses for overall acceptance by panel test. The results obtained by panel test, storability and chemical-physical analyses were combined in a global quality index, using a 10 point scale. Results confirmed the high quality of Pink Lady Cripps Pink apples and their susceptibility to scald and brown core. The optimum harvest date, according to Streif index (x 100), was ranged between 9 and 11. The best storability results were obtained using the CA sub (1) technology, i.e. low O2 and low CO2