Volatile metabolites, quality and sensory parameters of Ferrovia sweet cherry cold stored in air or packed in high CO2 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-2= 1% O-2/0.03% CO2; High-CO2 = 16% O-2/20% CO2; Mix = 1% O-2/20% 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 O-2 (16%) that could limit the synthesis of ethyl esters and gamma-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.