Peach antioxidant and phenolic activities influenced by the application of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at post-harvest

Early maturing peach (Prunus persica) cultivars can fetch good market value but face a lot of post-harvest problems that lead to the post-harvest losses. The 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) can provide new insights into plant ethylene responses and extend the shelf life and quality of fruits. Therefore, fruits of peach cultivar ‘Early Grand’ were dipped in various concentrations of 1-MCP (0, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 µg l–1), stored for 40 days at 8 ±2°C with 50% relative humidity and analyzed the fruits for physicochemical attributes at 10 days interval. The highest concentration of 1-MCP at 0.9 µg l–1 significantly improved the activity of antioxidants, catalase, free radical scavenging assay and total phenols. However, the peach fruits treated with 1MCP at 0.6 µgL–1 was effective in retaining the ascorbic acid, lowering the weight loss and fruit decay. Therefore, peach fruits can be treated with 1-MCP (0.6 µg l–1) solution for prolonging its shelf life up to 40 days under low temperature.