Hot Air Treatment's Impact on Nectarines' Taste and Shelf Life

Ever wondered how hot air affects nectarines after they're picked? Scientists treated nectarines with hot air at 40°C for 4 hours and stored them at 1°C for 35 days. They noticed some interesting changes. The nectarines stayed firm longer, lost less weight, and didn't brown as much inside. This means they kept their quality for a longer time. One cool thing they found was that hot air changed the types of smelly compounds (volatiles) in the fruit. It lowered the amount of aldehydes, which can smell a bit soapy, and boosted the amount of esters, which give fruity smells. For example, the bound form of linalool, which has a floral scent, shot up by 171. 41% compared to the untreated nectarines.

They also did some lab tests. They found that sugars like glucose and sucrose could increase both free and bound linalool levels by turning up the expression of a certain gene (PpUGT85A2). This also led to more bound benzaldehyde and nonanal, and less free versions of these compounds. In simple terms, this means that those soapy-smelling aldehydes can be turned into bound aldehydes with the help of sugars.

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