The Influence of Fruit Ripening Stage at Harvest and Storage Temperature on ‘Bianca di Bivona’ White Flesh Peaches

‘Bianca di Bivona’ is a white-flesh peach cultivar, which ripens during the last week of July and the first of August. Its fruit are known because of their distinct flavor and aroma, which make them highly accepted, particularly in the local markets. However, nothing is known about their postharvest physiology and storage conditions. In order to investigate the effect of: (a) fruit ripening stage at harvest and, (b) storage temperatures, ‘Bianca di Bivona’ peaches were picked at mature-green, (60.0±1.3 N), and ripe stage (30.7 ± 2.1 N) determined by flesh firmness, and then stored at 0°C and 5°C (90% RH). Flesh firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, weight loss and DA index, measured with a DA-Meter, were evaluated after harvest and every 7 days during a 4 weeks storage period. Mature-green peaches after 21 days of storage at 5°C showed a rapid decline in fruit titratable acidity and flesh firmness. On the other hand, fruit storage at 0°C for 28 days did not result in significant changes of fruit titratable acidity and flesh firmness. Ripe peaches (30.7±2.1 N) stored at 5°C showed a sharp decline of flesh firmness after 7 days of storage, while their storage period lasted until 14 days at 0°C.