The Effect of Conditions of Storage on the Respiration of Apples: IV. Changes in Concentration of Possible Substrates of Respiration, As Related to Production of Carbon Dioxide and Uptake of Oxygen by Apples at Low Temperatures

Abstract

At low storage temperatures the loss of carbohydrate and acid is higher than the loss of carbon dioxide, and the uptake of oxygen is less than the amount calculated from loss of these conventional substrates. Part of the excess loss of carbohydrate can be accounted for by accumulation of sorbitol; however, both at 38° F. and at 32° F. (3·3° C. and o° C.) there is still some substrate which has escaped estimation. The accumulation of sorbitol reduced the amount of the oxygen deficit, but the observed uptake of oxygen was still low. The apples which developed low temperature breakdown (LTB) in air had the highest concentrations of sorbitol.