Maçãs ‘Cripps pink’ armazenadas em atmosfera controlada estática e dinâmica e aplicação de 1-MCP: caracterização sensorial, compostos voláteis e parâmetros de qualidade

Abstract

The use of controlled atmospheres and compounds such as 1-methylcyclopropene (1- MCP) are strategies to ensure the availability of quality fruits during the off-season. These techniques induce changes in the profile of volatile compounds (VCs) and various physicochemical responses. However, there are still no studies that report the influence of these techniques on sensory perception. Thus, this study sought to evaluate the profile of VCs, characterize the odor-impact compounds, and characterize the physicochemical composition of ‘Cripps pink’ apples stored under two conditions: static controlled atmosphere (CA) and dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) based on the respiratory quotient (RQ.1.3), for 9 months, with and without MCP application, to correlate with the sensory profile of the fruits. The analyses were carried out after 1, 7, and 14 days of opening the storage chambers. The VCs were extracted by solid phase microextraction and analyzed in gas phase chromatographs coupled to a mass spectrometer and olfactometer. The Preferred Attribute Elicitation technique was used for sensory evaluation. The results indicated that the profile of volatile compounds was influenced by the storage condition and application of 1-MCP, with a higher concentration of aldehydes, such as hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal in CA and esters, such as ethyl acetate, ethyl 2- methylbutanoate, and ethyl butanoate in DCA. The application of 1-MCP reduced the production of the main volatile compounds. The olfactometric analysis showed greater odor relevance in CA compared to CA+1-MCP, DCA, and DCA+1-MCP. Additionally, the sensory analysis highlighted differences between the apples subjected to different storage conditions with or without 1-MCP application. Furthermore, the herbal and earthy descriptors were related to the compounds hexanol, (E)-2-nonenal, (Z)-hexenal, and hexanal, while the characteristic odor was related to 2-methylbutyl acetate, hexyl acetate, and butyl acetate.