Fumigation with lemon and cinnamon oils suppresses ethylene production and maintains the fruit quality of controlled atmosphere-stored organic apples

This work investigated the effects of lemon and cinnamon oil fumigation on quality parameters and ethylene production of organic apples when kept for 100 and 180 d in a controlled atmosphere condition. Apples were fumigated with 3, 4 or 5 μM of lemon or cinnamon oils in 60 L sealed plastic barrels for 24 h at room temperature (∼20 °C) and untreated apple fruit was considered as a control. Following 180 d storage, both lemon and cinnamon oil fumigations significantly decreased the climacteric ethylene production rates, maintained higher quality parameters and reduced superficial scald disorder in both cultivars in comparison with the control fruit. Also, fumigated apples exhibited an increased in firmness up to 26 %, titratable acidity up to 92 %, total phenol up to 130 %, ascorbic acid up to 92 % and total antioxidants up to 104 % when compared with control. Respiration climacteric peaks were reduced in both cultivars stored for 180 d as well. Therefore, through ethylene inhibition, lemon and cinnamon oils have the potential for use in organic apple production to maintain postharvest apple quality.