Effect of Ripening Conditions on the Quality and Storability of Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) Fruits

This study was conducted to identify the effect of ripening conditions on quality of ‘Honey One’ and ‘Earl`s Talent’ muskmelon cultivars stored at 10°C with 80 ± 5% relative humidity (RH) and room temperature (RT; 25°C) with 50 ± 5% RH. Weight loss and respiration rate of both cultivars were lower at 10°C than at RT throughout the ripening period. In the case of ethylene and ethanol production, ‘Honey One’ showed higher production than ‘Earl`s Talent’. There was no significant difference in acetaldehyde production between the two cultivars. ‘Honey One’ had higher total soluble solids (TSS) than ‘Earl`s Talent’ throughout the ripening period. ‘Earl`s Talent’ showed lower sucrose but higher glucose and fructose contents than ‘Honey One’. Titratable acidity (TA) and firmness decreased in both cultivars during the ripening period. ‘Earl`s Talent’ maintained firmness longer than ‘Honey One’. The polygalacturonase (PG) activity of ‘Honey One’ decreased starting from the 6th day of ripening, reaching 12.58 nmol·kg-1·s-1 on day 9 and maintaining that level afterwards while at RT. By contrast, ‘Earl`s Talent’ maintained PG activity up to day 21. Both water soluble pectin (WSP) and ammonium soluble pectin (ASP) increased but hydrochloric acid soluble pectin (HSP) and sodium hydroxide soluble pectin (SSP) decreased as the ripening period proceeded. The Hunter`s L* value of the two cultivars showed a decreasing trend in the flesh regardless of the ripening temperature. The sensory evaluation scores for both cultivars were highest on day 15th at 10°C and on day 9th at RT. Overall, our results revealed that the best nutritional benefits of muskmelon were achieved on the 15th day of ripening at 10°C and on the 9th day of ripening at RT irrespective of cultivars.