Pre and post-harvest management affects functional quality of peach (Prunus persica L.) cv. Flavorcrest

The effect of rootstock, fertilization and post-harvest heat treatments on the antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content in fruits of peach cultivar Flavorcrest was studied. 'Flavorcrest' grafted on 'MrS. 2/5' and 'Flordaguard' rootstocks produced fruits with the highest antioxidant capacity while the activity in the fruit skin was around ten times higher than in the flesh. Treatment without fertilization produced the highest antioxidant capacity in fruit flesh while the fruit skin showed no significant differences between treatments. A moderate heat shock (34 and 42°C), evaluated at 24 h post-harvest, improved the antioxidant capacity of fruits but after keep them for 72 h at 20°C, the values were similar to those observed in untreated fruit. Pre-harvest (rootstocks and fertilization) and post-harvest (heat shock) treatments influenced the functional quality of ‘Flavorcrest’ peach cultivar fruits.