Abstract: The effect of different storage temperatures on postharvest quality and preservation of fresh tumorous stem mustard was investigated. Fresh tumorous stem mustards were packaged with 0.03 mm thick polyene bag after pretreatment prior to storage in cooling incubators at 85%－95% relative humidity (RH) and different temperatures (0, 5, 10, 15 ℃), respectively. During the storage period of 22 days, germination rate, decay degree and commodity rate were recorded and the contents of ascorbic acid, total soluble solids (TSS) and soluble protein were measured every other 5 days. The results indicated that tumorous stem mustard showed significantly reduced germination rate, decay degree and weight loss rate and increased commodity rate during storage at 0 ℃ and 5 ℃ when compared with storage at 10 ℃ and 15 ℃, and the decrease of ascorbic acid, total soluble solids (TSS) and soluble proteins in tumorous stem mustard was delayed during storage at 0 ℃ and 5 ℃, but the contents of total phenols and flavonoids in tumorous stem mustard at different storage temperatures revealed an un-regular change. The best preservation effect with 100% commodity rate and 0% decay degree was observed during storage at 0 ℃. The storage life could reach up to 50 days under the optimal storage conditions. The ascorbic acid content in samples stored at 0 ℃ was increased by 109% and 208% when compared with those stored at 10 ℃ and 15 ℃, respectively. The level of soluble proteins in samples stored at 0 ℃ was increased by 16.7%, 59% and 89.6% when compared with those stored at 5, 10 ℃ and 15 ℃, respectively. In conclusion, storage at 0 ℃ and 5 ℃ is more beneficial to maintain postharvest quality of tumorous stem mustard than storage at 10 ℃ and 15 ℃. The most appropriate storage temperature is 0 ℃ for fresh tumorous stem mustard.

Key words: storage temperature, fresh tumorous stem mustard, quality, preservation