Influence of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on Postharvest Storage Quality in Green Bell Pepper Fruit

The goal of this research was to evaluate the efficiency of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on maintaining the quality parameters and antioxidant activity of bell pepper cv. Selika (an original red cultivar) and cv. H1530 (“ever-green” line) after 18 days storage at 7°C and 3 days at 20°C. Fruits were harvested at green color, from a commercial shade net house in the desert region in Israel. In both cultivars, 600 nL L−1 1-MCP reduced weight loss and maintained firmness more than control or 900 nL L−1 1-MCP. Overall, 1-MCP treatment had a pronounced effect on delaying ripening processes as shown by inhibiting color changes, decreasing decay, and maintaining quality of non-climacteric green pepper fruit. 1-MCP treatment reduced the lipophilic antioxidant activity of this fruit, but the hydrophilic antioxidant activity remained similar to that observed at harvest.