title: Water status and quality improvement in high-CO2 treated table grapes.
abstract: Unfreezable water (UFW) content in berry tissues (pulp, skin, seed) and rachis of table grape clusters stored at 0°C has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The effect of short exposure to high CO2 (20% CO2 for 3days) and the transfer to air were also studied. Water status of pulp tissues was related to the thawing behaviour and the structural characteristics, using low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (LT-SEM). The UFW content in all tissues increased rapidly in response to high CO2 while it remained stable or decreased in untreated clusters. The strong potential of this beneficial gaseous treatment for increasing the UFW content was also evident after transfer to air. The metabolic adjustment caused by exposure to high CO2, which reduced the amount of water available to be frozen, improved stored fruit quality, thus minimising structural damage and reducing water leakage associated with the freezing-thawing process.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad ICTAN-CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Goñi
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad ICTAN-CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Caballero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad ICTAN-CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: María T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Ballesta
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad ICTAN-CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: María I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Escribano
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Caracterización, Calidad y Seguridad ICTAN-CSIC, José Antonio Novais 10, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: merodio@ictan.csic.es.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merodio
keywords: DSC; High CO(2); Low temperature; Microstructure; Table grape tissues; Thawing process; Unfreezable water content