DETERMINATION OF LOW OXYGEN TOLERANCE LIMITS FOR SEVERAL APPLE CULTIVARS
The oxygen partial pressure associated with the respiratory quotient (RQ) breakpoint (ie., lower oxygen limit) was determined for fruits of several apple cultivars stored at 0°C. Fruits were sealed in low density polyethylene pouches of various thicknesses and known permeability to determine O2 uptake, CO2 production, and respiratory quotients (RQ) at various O2 partial pressures. There were differences in the shape of O2 uptake versus steady state O2 curves between cultivars. While some cultivars showed steady declines in respiration rate from 8 kPa O2 to < 1 kPa, other cultivars showed no decline in respiration until O2 levels fell below 3 to 4 kPa. Fruits having elevated RQ values had greater levels of headspace ethanol in the polyethylene pouches, which confirmed anaerobic respiration. The lower oxygen limit ranged from a low of approximately 0.75 kPa for cultivars Northern Spy and Law Rome to high of 1.5 kPa for McIntosh.