Vol. 32 No. 3 (2018): Special issue on Postharvest
Articles

Effect of wounding intensity on physiological and quality changes of strawberry fruit

Mulugheta Solomon
Department of Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25 71122 Foggia
Francesca Piazzolla
Department of Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25 71122 Foggia
Maria Lucia Valeria De Chiara
Department of Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25 71122 Foggia
Maria Luisa Amodio
Department of Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25 71122 Foggia
Giancarlo Colelli
Department of Science of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Foggia, Via Napoli, 25 71122 Foggia

Published 2018-10-02

Keywords

  • ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid,
  • ’Candonga’,
  • cutting degree,
  • fresh-cut,
  • respiration rate

How to Cite

Solomon, M., Piazzolla, F., De Chiara, M. L. V., Amodio, M. L., & Colelli, G. (2018). Effect of wounding intensity on physiological and quality changes of strawberry fruit. Advances in Horticultural Science, 32(3), 433–441. https://doi.org/10.13128/ahs-22932

Abstract

Wounding makes fresh-cut product more perishable than whole fruit. The effect of wounding intensity on respiration rate and nutritional quality of fresh-cut ‘Candonga’ strawberries was investigated. Fruit were submitted to six levels of cutting intensity - whole fruit (WHO), 4, 16, 64, and 128 pieces and chopped (CHO) samples. Respiration rate, and the main nutritional parameters were evaluated at the processing day and after 2 days of storage at 5°C. Results showed that wounding intensity significantly influenced respiration rate, ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity. Respiration rate increased with wounding intensity up to the level of 64 pieces (10.01 µg kg-1 s-1) compared to WHO (5.5 µg kg-1 s-1) and then decreased in the CHO samples (2.81 µg kg-1 s-1). At Day 2, the stress caused by the high intensity of cutting (64 pieces and CHO) induced a higher degradation of ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity. Stress-related changes decrease when the wounding damage was so high that it completely compromises the functionality of the cells (from 64 pieces up). These results should be considered for processing and packaging optimization of minimally processed strawberries-based products.