Volatile organic compounds, quality and sensory attributes of sweet cherry cv "Ferrovia", cold packaged in Air or in different modified atmospheres (Low-O2 = 1% O2/0.03% CO2; High-CO2 = 16% O2/20% CO2; Mix = 1% O2/20% CO2), were monitored until 21 days of conservation. Results showed that sweet cherry cv "Ferrovia" is sensitive to CO2 accumulation (over 20%) in low oxygen (about 1%) modified atmosphere, as showed by the increase in respiration rate, biosynthesis of fermentative volatile metabolites, and sensory perception of off-odours. However, High-CO2 treatment seemed to preserve quality and sensory traits, presumably due to the high initial concentration of O2 (16%) that could limit the synthesis of ethyl esters and γ-butyrolactone, keeping the accumulation of off-flavours below their sensory perception threshold. Finally, PLSR analysis allowed to select 1-pentanol as putative marker of sensory alteration and hexanal and 2-hexenal as possible predictors of freshness for "Ferrovia" sweet cherries.
Keywords: PCA; PLSR; Respiration activity; Sensory analysis; Sweet cherry cv “Ferrovia”; Volatile organic compounds.
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