Effects of Different 1-Methylcyclopropene Application Rates on Quality Changes of Kiwifruit during Shelf-Life after Cold Storage

To investigate the regulatory effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment on the quality and edible period of kiwifruit during cold storage and subsequent shelf life, ‘Jintao’ kiwifruit was treated with three concentrations of 1-MCP (0 (control), 0.3, and 0.6 μL/L). The fruits were stored at 0 ℃ for five months and then transferred to shelf-life conditions at 20 ℃. Key quality parameters including fruit firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) content, titratable acidity (TA) content, soft fruit rate, decay incidence, and edible period were systematically measured and analyzed. The results showed that both 1-MCP treatments effectively delayed the quality deterioration of ‘Jintao’ kiwifruit during cold storage by maintaining high firmness, suppressing the rapid accumulation of TSS, slowing down the reduction in TA, and significantly reducing the respiration intensity and ethylene production. During the shelf-life, the edible period of both the control and 0.3 μL/L groups was 7 days compared to only 5 days for the 0.6 μL/L group. Notably, treatment with 0.6 μL/L 1-MCP resulted in the occurrence of “zombie fruit” accompanied by significantly increased soft rot incidence, with the decay incidence by the end of shelf life being 74.44%, 1.59 times that of the control group. In conclusion, 0.3 μL/L 1-MCP treatment is beneficial for maintaining the quality and extending the edible period of ‘Jintao’ kiwifruit after long-term cold storage. In contrast, 0.6 μL/L 1-MCP treatment leads to abnormal ripening symptoms such as shortened edible period and increased decay incidence, as well as poor quality stability, making it unsuitable for long-term cold storage of kiwifruit.