Acceleration of Some Ripening Processes by Light Treatment of Stored Apples

Illumination of apples with fluorescent tubes during storage at about 5 °C reduced their CO2 production by 40–100%. This apparent photosynthesis declined after a rapid rise in ethylene production, although the timing of this rise was not affected by illumination. Light-accelerated chlorophyll destruction was usually measured by the rise in surface reflectance at 675 nm. Higher concentrations of esters, such as butyl and hexyl acetate, could be detected in the headspace and cortical tissue of apples illuminated during storage at low (2–2.5%) atmospheric O2concentrations. Though the involvement of phytochrome cannot be excluded, the results suggest that enhanced membrane lipid peroxidation is a consequence of illumination