Storage of 'sweetheart' cherries in sealed plastic film

'Sweetheart' cherries were sealed in perforated or nonperforated polyethylene bags and stored for 6 weeks in air at OC. Samples were removed after 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks of storage and evaluated for fruit and sensory quality. Volatile analyses were done on samples kept in storage for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 weeks. Atmospheres after 6 weeks of storage were approximately 4.6% O-2 and 10% CO2, for the perforated bags (1993) and 6.6% O-2 and 3.5% CO2 for the non-perforated bags (1994). Fruit brightness (L* value), firmness and titratable acidity declined during storage. Skin color (hue angle) decreased slightly in redness over the 6-week storage period. Sensory evaluation in 1993 showed a decline in fruit appearance and flavor with storage duration. Texture and juiciness did not change. Acceptability remained high for the first 4 weeks of storage. Twenty-seven volatiles were identified by head-space analysis (1993). Little change occurred in volatile production except for acetaldehyde which increased sharply from week 2 to 4 and ethanol which increased sharply between week 8 and week 9. Butyl acetate behaved much like acetaldehyde. Modified atmosphere packaging maintained high fruit luster and green stems. No differences in fruit quality were observed with bag type, but storage appears to be limited to 4 weeks for 'Sweetheart' cherries because of flavor loss.