Internal browning in cold-stored pineapples is suppressed by a postharvest application of 1-methylcyclopropene

Treatment with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), the inhibitor of the ethylene receptor, at 0.1 ppm (4.5 nmol 1(-1)) for 18 h at 20 degreesC effectively controlled internal browning, a chilling injury symptom, in pineapples stored at 10 degreesC for four weeks. The treatment with I-MCP also delayed ascorbic acid decline, and arrested the decline in both total soluble solids and ethylene synthesis. The present findings throw light on the role of ethylene in internal browning, and suggest that I-MCP could be considered for use commercially to control this important postharvest physiological disorder in pineapples. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.