Quality changes during postharvest life in white fleshed peach (Prunus Persica L. Batsch) fruits: Preliminary observations

Sicilian white flesh peach fruits ecotypes are characterized by a persistent aroma and excellent flavor that is highly appreciated by consumers. Nevertheless, they reach only regional markets, because of fruit sensitivity to decay and the poor information about their postharvest physiology and shelf-life. In this trial, we studied quality changes during postharvest life of non-melting white-flesh peach ecotypes ‘Tudia’, ‘Bella di Bivona’ and the cultivar ‘Daniela’. Fruits were collected at commercial ripening: a first group was submitted to analytical evaluations and another one was stored (2°C, 90% RH) for 32 days. During this storage period, fruits were submitted to four shelf-life periods at ambient temperature (22°C) for 6 days and analyzed every 3th and 6th day. In the period of shelf-life, during storage of fruit at 2°C, we ascertained that Bella di Bivona and Daniela have a shelf-life of 12-14 days while ‘Tudia’ could reach up to 25-32 days. Flesh firmness and chilling injuries trends, during shelf-life, allowed to discover ‘Tudia’ as the variety which presents the best performance after storage at low temperatures for long periods.