Antioxidant responses of Golden delicious apple under cold storage conditions

An understanding of biochemical events of cold storage may lead to more effective methods of preventing apple fruits from ripening and keeping their quality. This study aimed at determining the level of reduced and oxidized forms of ascorbic acid, and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase enzymes changes in pulp of Golden delicious apple cultivar during cold storage. Apples were kept in common cold storage condition (1 oC, 95% - 97% RH) for 135 days for subsequent analysis. During cold storage condition, no significant changes were observed in the content of reduced and oxidized forms of ascorbic acid. However, levels of total flavonoids declined as storage time progressed. Superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities were decreased while the activity of catalase was increased.