Pecan nuts, a healthy food, have shown an increased demand for consumption. Therefore, there must be a certain level of care to avoid quality losses, which are primarily influenced by storage conditions and time. This study evaluates the effects of long-term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage with low O2 partial pressure (pO2 - 2 kPa), combined or not with high CO2 (pCO2 - 40 or 80 kPa), carnauba wax coating (CW), and ambient atmosphere (AMB; control) at 10 and 20 °C, on unshelled 'Barton' pecan nut quality. Color, water activity (Aw), moisture content (MC), and oxidation markers, such as peroxide value (PV), acidity value (AV), TBARS, and volatile compounds (VC) were evaluated. Storage up to twelve months at 10 °C and with CA (regardless of the temperature) ensured higher luminosity and color parameter b* ("golden") and a lower a* parameter ("reddish"). The MC ranged from 2.8 to 3.6%, irrespective of storage conditions, for up to twelve months, which is suitable. The AMB at 10 °C ensured lower AV, TBARS, and PV compared to the CW treatment. Furthermore, CA with low pO2 and high pCO2, even at 20 °C, guaranteed lower AV, TBARS, and PV. Storage at 20 °C increased characteristic VCs of lipid oxidation (aldehydes, acids, alcohols, ketones, lactones, and esters, especially with CW coating). However, all conditions at 10 °C and with pCO2 (even associated at 20 °C) reduced the presence of these VCs. The CW used as a coating on the pecans did not show satisfactory results and should not be recommended for pecan storage at these applied conditions. Our findings showed that low pO2 and high pCO2 maintain better pecan quality than O2 ambient (20 kPa), even at temperatures above refrigeration (20 °C). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between 40 and 80 kPa CO2.
Keywords: Carbon dioxide; Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh) K. Koch; Nut storage; Oxidation; Volatile compounds.
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