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Fresh-cut processing is a good strategy to enhance the commercialization of peaches and nectarines, which easily deteriorate during low-temperature storage mostly due to the occurrence of chilling injury. Although several studies have been performed to improve the shelf-life of fresh-cut stone fruit, the achievement of high-quality fresh-cut peaches and nectarines still constitutes a challenge. The present study aimed to gain insights into the evolution of the postharvest quality of fresh-cut nectarines (Prunus persica L. Batsch) Big Bang, cold-stored at two different storage temperatures (4 and 8 °C) for up to 10 days. Several aspects influencing the quality traits (sensory and postharvest quality parameters; the profile of phenolic and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) were explored to predict the marketable life of the fresh-cut nectarines. The respiration rate was higher in samples stored at 4 °C, while the browning process was more evident in fruit stored at 8 °C. Partial Least Squares Regression performed on VOCs showed that samples stored at 4 °C and 8 °C presented a different time evolution during the experiment and the trajectories depended on the interaction between time and temperature. Moreover, Multiple Linear Regression analysis discovered that the 17 VOCs affected by the storage conditions seemed to suggest that no chilling injury was detected for nectarines Big Bang. In conclusion, this approach could also be used with other nectarine cultivars and/or different stone fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing fertilizer input is a goal for helping greenhouse farming to achieve higher sustainability in the production process while preserving overall crop performance and quality. Wild rocket plants were cultivated in a plastic greenhouse divided into two independent sectors, one for soil-bound (SbS) cultivation and another equipped for soilless (ScS) cultivation systems. In both SbS and ScS, the crop was subjected to treatments consisting of a high- and a low-input fertilization program (HF and LF treatment, respectively). Water use efficiency (WUE) and partial factor productivity (PFP) for nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg for ScS, and N for SbS) were measured. Rocket leaves, separated for the cultivation system and fertilization program and collected at different cuts during the growing cycle, were cold stored at 10 °C until 16 d. On each sampling day (at harvest and during storage), the sensory parameters, respiration rate, dry matter, color, electrolyte leakage, antioxidant activity, total phenols, total chlorophyll and ammonia content were evaluated. In ScS, the PFP for all nutrients supplied as fertilizers showed a significant increase with the LF treatment, with values higher than 30% recorded for N, K, and Ca. As for the postharvest performance, rocket leaves cultivated in ScS showed better qualitative traits than those cultivated in SbS, as suggested by the lower values of ammonia content and electrolyte leakage recorded at the end of storage period in samples grown in ScS. Moreover, in ScS, the data showed lower membrane damage in LF than HF rocket leaves. Finally, regarding total chlorophyll content, even if no effect of each treatment was recorded in SbS, rocket cultivated in ScS showed a better retention of this parameter by applying LF rather than HF treatment. In addition to this, a PLS model (R2 = 0.7) able to predict the cultivation system, using as a variable non-destructively measured total chlorophyll content, was implemented. Low fertilization input, both in SbS and in ScS, allowed satisfying production levels and more sustainable management of nutrients. LF treatment applied to ScS also had in positive effects on the postharvest quality of fresh-cut rocket leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]