Comparison of the Quality and Internal Physiological Disorders of ‘Wonhwang’ Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) of Different Fruit Sizes during Shelf Life after Cold Storage

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study investigated the effects of several fruit size factors on quality changes and the incidence of internal physiological disorders during the simulated export and distribution of ‘Wonhwang’ pears (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai), the main early-season variety of Korean pear for export. Experiments were conducted on fruits packed (5 kg base) in four different grades of export standards at the Cheonan Pear Export Sorting Facility in 2023. All packaged fruits were stored at 1°C for 30 days to simulate export transportation, followed by a simulated shelf life at 25°C for 21 days. The soluble solids content did not vary by size, but the titratable acidity was lowest in the smallest fruit (Size 10) over the entire shelf lifetime. In addition, Size 10 fruits showed a higher respiration rate and greater ethylene production than fruits of other sizes. It was also found that the largest fruit (Size 7) and smallest fruit (Size 10) had lower levels of ethanol-insoluble substances than the medium-grade fruits of Sizes 8 and 9. The incidences of physiological disorders for fruits designated as Sizes 8 and 9 were lower in with regard to core browning and flesh browning compared to the largest fruit (Size 7) and smallest fruit (Size 10). Fruits of Size 8 and size 9 were judged to be the most suitable export standards for ‘Wonhwang’ pears.