Ethylene increases the post-harvest metabolism of broccoli. The ethylene synthesis might be inducted by mechanical injury and temperature decrease. Therefore, 3 experiments were carried out to assess these hypotheses: 1) it was evaluated the mechanical injury effect on the ethylene production; 2) the effect of cold storage; and 3) effect of the 1-MCP on the broccoli metabolism and conservation. The results showed that the mechanical injury increased the ethylene production, from 0,25 to 501,83 mL.h-1 g-1, two hours after the injury occurrence. In contrast, in the control treatment the increments were lower, varying from 0,27 to 203,13 mL.h-1 g-1. During storage, the deterioration occurred more rapidly in the control treatment (20-22 °C) observing yellowing, chlorophyll degradation, and production of off-flavor. The broccolis stored in the temperature ranges of 0-2 and 5-7 °C maintained good quality for up to 12 days. The application of 1-MCP did not contribute to elongate the shelf life of Legacy broccoli at 20-22 °C, neither did it influence the preservation of the green color nor the avoidance of chlorophyll degradation.
color; chlorophyll; yellowing; chlorophyllases; ethylene
