Date of Graduation
12-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Food Science
Advisor/Mentor
Threlfall, Renee
Committee Member/Reader
Worthington, Margaret
Committee Member/Second Reader
Howard, Luke
Abstract
Evaluating ripeness attributes of peaches and nectarines helps determine feasibility for commercial markets. Five cultivars (Amoore Sweet, Bowden, Bradley, Effie, and Souvenirs) and five breeding selections (A-663 CN, A-794 CN, A-811 CN, A-819, and A-885) were hand harvested in 2017 from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, AR. The tree-ripened fruit was evaluated at harvest (day 0), and commercially-ripened fruit (ripened during storage) was evaluated at 0, 7 and 14 d storage at 4° C. The attributes of tree and commercially-ripened fruit varied at harvest and included chlorophyll (0.04-0.86 abs), weight (132-264 g), soluble solids (7.23-12.57%), pH (3.18-4.66), titratable acidity (0.16-1.21%), and flesh firmness (6.92-35.72 N). At harvest, tree-ripened fruit had higher fruit weight, soluble solids, and pH and lower chlorophyll, titratable acidity, and firmness than commercially-ripened fruit. For the tree-ripened fruit, A-811 CN was the largest, A-794 CN had the highest soluble solids and titratable acidity, and Amoore Sweet was the firmest. For tree and commercially-ripened fruit, the flesh of the fruit was more yellow than the skin, A-663 CN had the lowest total hydroxycinnamic acids, and there were no differences in sugar levels. During storage of commercially-ripened fruit, chlorophyll and fruit weight decreased, while soluble solids increased. Some ripeness attributes of the commercially-ripened fruit, such as chlorophyll and weight, were not achieved as compared to the tree-ripened fruit. This study provides insight on the potential for releasing new peach and nectarine genotypes from the University of Arkansas Fruit Breeding Program.
Keywords
peaches; nectarines; postharvest
Citation
Siebenmorgen, M. (2018). Ripeness Attributes of Arkansas-grown Peaches and Nectarines at Harvest and During Postharvest Storage. Food Science Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/fdscuht/6
