Mineral concentrations at harvest as novel markers to predict internal browning disorders in ‘Rocha’ pear during storage under high CO₂

This study aimed to identify mineral markers at harvest capable of predicting internal browning disorders (IBDs) in pear (Pyrus communis L. cv Rocha) during storage, and develop an IBD predictive model. Fruit from five orchards harvested at two different maturity stages were stored for 45 days in cold air (−0.5 °C) followed by 100 days under controlled atmosphere (CA) (1 kPa O2 + 10 kPa CO2 at −0.5 °C). Concentrations of ten minerals were measured at harvest and a multivariate predictive model using this data was developed. The model explained 78% of variance in IBD incidence during storage and after validation it showed high accuracy (R2 = 0.97; RMSEP = 7.7%). Amongst the ten analysed minerals, copper (Cu), being significantly correlated to IBD incidence during storage, was the most promising IBD marker. This type of model may be a very useful tool to predict at harvest fruit's sensitivity to IBD during storage allowing the selection of the most adequate storage conditions for the long-term storage of a fruit batch.