Abstract:

The objective of the study was to investigate the quality maintenance and browning control of sweet cherry during
storage at low temperature. The effects of cherry preservative paper, efficient ethylene remover and their combination on
the quality and browning control of “Xianfeng” sweet cherry during low temperature storage were examined. The results
revealed that the efficient ethylene remover remarkably delayed the senescence of sweet cherry, inhibited the accumulation
of malondialdehyde (MDA), maintained higher values of lightness (L*) and chroma (C*) and lower hue angle (H0) value,
and resulted in a significantly lower browning index than other treatments investigated, implying reducing exogenous
ethephon concentration helps inhibit the senescence and browning of cherry fruit. The cherry preservative paper effectively
inhibited decay incidence during 60-day storage. The combination of cherry preservative paper with efficient ethylene
remover treatment not only increased marketable fruit percentage but also improved the quality of sweet cherry after storage
for 60 days at 0 ℃ and for another 3 days at 10 ℃ for a simulated shelf life.

Key words: cherry preservative paper, ethylene remover, cold storage, decay, browning