In the present work were evaluated the effects of 1-MCP on 'Royal Gala' apples ripening. The apples were harvested at two ripeness stages: Ripeness stage at harvest one apples were with 82, 4 N flesh firmness, 0,36 % malic acid and 14,10 ºBrix. Ethylene prodution of these apples was about 2,0 nL.g-1.h-1. Apples of ripeness stage 2 produced about 17,0 nL.g-1.h-1 ethylene and had flesh firmness values 79,96 N, 0,33 % malic acid and 13,74 ºBrix. The apples were treated with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) using three concentrations and one control, 0, 325, 625 and 1250 nL.L-1 which were applied during 48 hours at temperature of 20 ± 2 ºC. After this time the fruits were stored during 60 days at the same temperature. Flesh firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids and ethylene production were evaluated at every 10 days. All concentrations of the 1-MCP product have reduced the fruit's ethylene production and delayed the occurrence of the climacteric peak independently of the ripening stage. The treatments with 1-MCP also gave the bigger values of pulp firmness and titratable acidity.
pulp firmness; ethylene; storage
