Peaches harvested at advanced ripening stage: postharvest treatment for maintaining quality

Consumers of peaches and nectarines often complain of the low eating quality of these fruits that, for commercial purposes, are harvested before their physiological maturation is completed on the tree. The higher quality attained by delaying harvest contradicts the possibility of prolonging shelf-life, particularly for those varieties characterised by a very rapid softening process. In previous works (Tonutti et al., 1998; Bonghi et al., 1999) we have shown that Ultra Low Oxygen (ULO) postharvest treatments (up to 48h) without refrigeration are effective in reducing the softening rate in Springcrest peaches. Considering the differences existing among peach varieties in terms of ripening physiology, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the effects of a short-term ULO treatment on white (WF) and yellow (YF) flesh peach varieties harvested at an advanced ripening stage.