Abstract:Xinjiang “Saimaiti” apricot was the experimental material analyzed in this study. At a temperature of 4 ℃ and a relative humidity of 90%~95%, the apricot fruits with and without foam-net were placed on a homemade vibration table with a controllable amplitude and variable frequency. The vibration treatment was conducted horizontally and vertically at a simultaneous vibration frequency of 5 Hz to simulate vehicle vibration during transportation. The apricot fruits were vibrated for 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h, and stored at 4 ℃ and 90 %~95 % relative humidity. Fruits with no vibration were used as controls. Sampling was carried out every seven days, and fruit firmness, proto-pectin content, water-soluble pectin content, cellulose content, and polygalacturonase (PG), cellulase (Cx), and β-glucosidase activities were measured and the effect of vibration stress on the cell wall metabolism of the fruits was studied. The results showed that vibration stress could increase the water-soluble pectin content, cellulose content, as well as PG, Cx, and β-glucosidase activities of apricots. This also decreases the firmness and proto-pectin content of apricots, as well as accelerates the quality deterioration and softening process of apricots. Compared with no foam-net packaging, foam-net could inhibit the above physiological processes and increase the hardness of apricot fruits. This indicates that the cell wall metabolism and degradation of apricots with foam-net packaging were reduced more effectively than those without foam-net packaging during storage.
