Volatile metabolites, quality and sensory parameters of "Ferrovia" sweet cherry cold stored in air or packed in high CO 2 modified atmospheres.

Volatile organic compounds, quality and sensory attributes of sweet cherry cv "Ferrovia", cold packaged in Air or in different modified atmospheres (Low-O = 1% O/0.03% CO; High-CO = 16% O/20% CO; Mix = 1% O/20% CO), were monitored until 21 days of conservation. Results showed that sweet cherry cv "Ferrovia" is sensitive to CO 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-CO treatment seemed to preserve quality and sensory traits, presumably due to the high initial concentration of O (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.