EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON TEXTURAL

PROPERTIES OF CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT

ZHENFENG YANG, YONGHUA ZHENG1, SHIFENG CAO,

SHUANGSHUANG TANG, SUJUAN MA and NA LI

College of Food Science and Technology

Nanjing Agricultural University
Weigang 1, Nanjing 210095, China

Received for Publication January 23, 2006

Accepted for Publication October 29, 2006

ABSTRACT

The influence of storage temperature on textural properties of Chinese

bayberry fruit was investigated by using instrumental texture profile analysis
(TPA). The fruit was harvested at ripe stage and stored at 20, 10 and 1C for
60 h, 5 and 14 days, respectively, and six textural parameters were measured.
There was a decrease in fruit firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, resilience
and chewiness, and an increase in adhesiveness during storage. Increased
storage temperature resulted in accelerated decrease in fruit firmness, cohe-
siveness, springiness, resilience and chewiness, and an increase in adhesive-
ness. There was a significant correlation among the six TPA parameters. Low
temperature inhibited the decrease of total soluble solids, total titratable
acidity and increase of flesh pH value, thereby maintaining better taste quality.
TPA parameters could be used as suitable indicators of fruit quality and
storability, and low temperature storage is beneficial for delaying textural
changes and maintaining the taste quality of Chinese bayberry fruit after
harvest.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The research reported in this article is relevant and of interest to both

researchers and industry. Because our results confirm that TPA is a reliable
instrumental measurement for evaluating the textural quality and fruit soften-
ing of Chinese bayberry fruit during storage, the measurement of TPA param-
eters may have the potential to provide useful information for quality control

1
Corresponding author. TEL: +86-25-84399080; FAX: +86-25-84395618; EMAIL: zhengyh@
njau.edu.cn

Journal of Texture Studies 38 (2007) 166177. All Rights Reserved.

166 2007, The Author(s)
Journal compilation 2007, Blackwell Publishing
 EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT TEXTURE 167

in industry, and to serve as objective indicators of fruit quality and storability

for postharvest researchers to develop more suitable handling, transportation
and storage techniques of Chinese bayberry fruit. Moreover, our finding that
low temperature storage was beneficial for delaying textural changes and
maintaining the taste quality of Chinese bayberry fruit will help industry to
determine the suitable temperature for storage of this fruit.

KEYWORDS

Chinese bayberry fruit, quality parameters, storage temperature, texture

profile analysis

INTRODUCTION

Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra Seib. and Zucc.) is a subtropical tree

native to China, and grown commercially for fruit in eastern and southern
China. The fruit consists of capsule-like cellules termed flesh segments and is
noted for its attractive red to purple color and appealing flavor. To obtain best
flavor, Chinese bayberry fruit is practically harvested when almost fully ripe.
However, at this stage, it is soft and highly perishable, susceptible to mechani-
cal injury, physiological deterioration, water loss and microbiological decay,
limiting postharvest life to 12 days under ambient temperature (Xi et al.
1993, 1994). The annual output of this fruit in China is about 400,000 tons in
which an estimated 3040% of the fruit is lost after harvest because of
deterioration, causing a significant economic loss for the farmers. Effective
control of fruit decay in Chinese bayberry has been obtained by cold storage
in combination with conventional low oxygen controlled atmospheres (Xi
et al. 2001; Qi et al. 2003; Shen and Huang 2003) or superatmospheric high
oxygen atmospheres (Yang et al. 2005a,b). Chinese bayberry fruit is small,
and the average diameter of ripe fruit is only 1.53 cm, with a hard core at the
center of the fruit. It is very difficult to measure the fruit firmness by using a
hand-operated penetrometer device. Although there was considerable litera-
ture on quality and physiological changes of Chinese bayberry fruit during
storage, very little information is available on fruit texture response to storage
temperature.
Recently, texture profile analysis (TPA) using a universal texturometer
has become a useful mean to analyze a series of textural parameters by a single
double penetration test in fresh fruits and vegetables. TPA has been performed
on citrus (Muramatsu et al. 1996), banana (Kajuna et al. 1997), apple (Nadul-
ski and Grochowicz 2001; Alvarez et al. 2002; Pan and Tu 2005), potato
168 Z. YANG ET AL.

(Alvarez et al. 2002) and tomato (Wu and Abbott 2002). However, use of TPA
to evaluate the textural properties of Chinese bayberry fruit has not been
reported.
The aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of temperature
on textural properties using TPA on Chinese bayberry fruit during postharvest
storage at 20, 10 and 1C.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plant Material and Treatments

Chinese bayberry fruits (Myrica rubra Sieb. and Zucc. cv. Wumei) were
hand-harvested from a commercial orchard at Suzhou in Jiangsu province, and
transported to our laboratory within 4 h. The fruits were sorted to eliminate
damaged, unripened fruits, and selected for uniform size and color. All
selected fruits were divided into three groups and stored respectively at 20, 10
or 1C with 90% relative humidity. The storage was terminated when any
berries showed visible mold growth on fruit surface to avoid the interference
of fruit decay in texture evaluation. Samples were taken before and during
storage for TPA and other quality analysis. Three replicates of 30 fruits each
from each storage temperature were used for each evaluation time.

Instrumental TPA Tests

TPA tests were performed with a Texture Analyzer TA-XT2i (Stable
Micro Systems Ltd., Godalming, U.K.) using a 25-kg load cell and the appli-
cation program provided with the apparatus (Texture Expert for Windows,
version 1.0, Stable Micro Systems Ltd.). A cylindrical 5-mm-diameter stain-
less plunger (P/5) was used in the TPA tests. The Texture Analyzer was
programmed so that the downward movement began at a point 5 mm above the
surface of the sample. The following experimental conditions were selected for
all TPA tests: pretest speed 5.0 mm/s, test speed 1.0 mm/s and post-test speed
8.0 mm/s; penetration distance 5 mm and a rest period of 5 s between two
cycles; trigger force 1.0 N; and data acquisition rate 200 pulses per second.
The probe always returned to the trigger point before beginning the second
cycle. After the second cycle, the probe returned to its initial position. To
obtain a good estimation of overall fruit texture, measurements were made on
five fruits from each replicate, and three replicates were carried out for each
storage temperature.
Figure 1 shows a typical TPA forcetime curve of Chinese bayberry fruit.
The following six TPA parameters were automatically calculated according to
the definitions of Bourne (2002) by the User Guide software (version 1.0,
 EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT TEXTURE 169

FIG. 1. TYPICAL FORCETIME CURVE FROM TEXTURE PROFILE ANALYSIS OF

CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT

Stable Micro Systems Ltd.). Firmness is the peak force during the first cycle
penetration (Peak 1), which related to the strength of the flesh under penetra-
tion. Springiness is a measure of how much the flesh structure is broken down
by the initial penetration and is calculated as the ratio of the time from the start
of the second area up to the second probe reversal over the time between the
start of the first area and the first probe reversal (T2/T1). Adhesiveness indi-
cates the adhesive ability to our palate, teeth and tongue when fruit flesh is
being chewed. In TPA tests, the negative area between the point at which the
first curve reaches a zero force value after the first penetration and the start of
the second curve (Area 3) represents the used energy for pulling out the
plunger from flesh in first cycle penetration and is defined as adhesiveness.
Cohesiveness is a measure of the degree of difficulty in breaking down the
flesh internal structure, and is calculated as the ratio of the positive force area
during the second penetration portion to that during the first penetration [(Area
4 + Area 5/(Area 1 + Area 2)]. Resilience reflects the redeformation capacity
of fruit tissue after penetration, and is defined as the ratio of the positive force
area to the negative force area during the first penetration (Area 2/Area 1).
Chewiness is calculated as firmness cohesiveness springiness.
170 Z. YANG ET AL.

Total Soluble Solids (TSS), Total Titratable Acidity (TA)

and pH Determinations
Ten fruits from each replicate were wrapped in cheesecloth and squeezed
with a hand press, and the juice was analyzed for TSS, TA and pH. TSS was
determined at 25C using a portable refractometer (WYT-4, Quanzhou, China).
TA was determined by titrating 5 mL of bayberry juice to pH 8.2 using 0.1 N
NaOH. pH was measured with a pH-meter (PHS-25B, Shanghai, China).
Three replicates were carried out for all the measurements.

Fruit Surface Color Measurement

Surface color of 15 fruits from each replicate was measured using a
colorimeter (CR 200 Minolta, Osaka, Japan) with a 6-mm aperture size, which
provided CIE L*, a* and b* values. A white tile (L* = 96.90, a* = +0.21,
b* = 1.93) was used as reference. Negative a* values indicate green color and
higher positive a* values indicate red color. Higher positive b* values indicate
a more yellow skin color and negative b* blue color. These values were then
used to calculate hue degree (ho = arctangent [b*/a*]), where 0o = red-purple;
90o = yellow; 180o = bluish-green; and 270o = blue (McGuire 1992), and
Chroma (C* = [a*2+b*2]1/2), which indicates the intensity or color saturation.

Data Analysis
All data were expressed as mean SD and subjected to ANOVA using
Data Processing System (DPS, version 3.01, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou,
China). Differences between means of data were compared by least significant
difference. Difference at P < 0.05 was considered significant. The correlation
analysis between fruit firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, resilience, chewi-
ness and adhesiveness was carried out on the mean scores using Pearsons
regression model.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

TPA Parameters
The TPA parameters, fruit firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, resilience
and chewiness, decreased, whereas adhesiveness increased during storage in
each temperature, corresponding to fruit softening as a result of postharvest
senescence (Fig. 2). Fruit firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, resilience and
chewiness were significantly lower (P < 0.05), while adhesiveness was signifi-
cantly higher (P < 0.05) in bayberries stored at 20C than in those stored at 10
and 1C throughout the experimental period. Storage at 1C was most effective
in maintaining best fruit textural quality and storability. Our results on springi-
 EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT TEXTURE 171

3.6 0.30
A B

3.2

Cohesiveness
Firmness (N)

0.25

2.8

0.20
2.4

2.0 0.15
1.00 0.60
C D
0.55
0.95

Adhesiveness
0.50
Springiness

0.90 0.45

0.40
0.85
0.35

0.80 0.30
0.07 1.0
E F
0.8

Chewiness (N)
0.06
Resilience

0.6

0.4
0.05
0.2

0.04 0.0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Storage time (d) Storage time (d)

FIG. 2. EFFECT OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON FIRMNESS (A), COHESIVENESS

(B), SPRINGINESS (C), ADHESIVENESS (D), RESILIENCE (E) AND CHEWINESS (F)
OF CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT STORED AT 1 (), 10 (), AND 20C ()

ness are consistent with the earlier report of Chen et al. (1995), who found that
storage temperature significantly affected the springiness constant of Chinese
bayberry fruit, and the springiness decreased at an accelerated rate with
increasing storage temperature. The decrease of firmness, cohesiveness,
springiness, resilience and chewiness, and the increase of adhesiveness have
also been reported in Fuji and Gala apples during storage (Pan and Tu
2005). Kajuna et al. (1997) also found a decrease of pulp hardness, chewiness,
guminess and springiness in banana and plantain during ripening. It has been
well established that fruit texture is closely related to cell wall structure and
composition and that fruit softening is the consequence of disassembly of
primary cell wall and middle lamella structures (Jackman and Stanley 1995).
172 Z. YANG ET AL.

Pectinesterase (PE) and polygalacturonase (PG) have been shown associated

with solubilization of pectins and softening in Chinese bayberry fruit. Bay-
berries stored at 21C had higher PE and PG activities and water-soluble pectin
content than those stored at 11 and 1C (Hu et al. 2001). Therefore, in this
study, the more rapid decrease of fruit firmness, cohesiveness, springiness,
resilience and chewiness, and increase of adhesiveness in bayberries stored at
higher temperatures could be a result of solubilization and depolymerization of
cell wall constituents including pectins.
Xi et al. (1993, 1994) found that fruit senescence and quality deteriora-
tion proceeded at a more rapid rate in Chinese bayberries stored at 21C than
those stored at 11 and 1C. The storage lives of the fruit stored at 1, 11 and 21C,
assessed with fruit decay and eating quality, were 3, 5 and 9 days, respectively.
Similar results were also observed with respect to storage life in this study, as
higher temperature resulted in shorter storage life and more rapid changes in
TPA parameters. Therefore, the decrease of firmness, cohesiveness, springi-
ness, resilience and chewiness or the increase of adhesiveness could be used as
potential indicators of fruit quality and storability for Chinese bayberries. Our
results suggest that TPA tests could provide an objective measurement of
Chinese bayberry fruit texture; however, the relationship between objec-
tive TPA parameters and sensory evaluation of fruit texture needs future
investigation.
Table 1 shows the correlation coefficients between the TPA parameters of
Chinese bayberry stored at each temperature. Among the six TPA parameters,
adhesiveness was negatively correlated with fruit firmness, cohesiveness, resil-
ience, springiness and chewiness (R = -0.86 to -0.99), while fruit firmness,
cohesiveness, resilience, springiness and chewiness were significantly and
positively correlated with each other (R = 0.840.99). Thus, it could be con-
cluded from the excellent correlations between TPA parameters and storage
conditions (storage temperature and duration) that TPA is a reliable instru-
mental measurement for evaluating the textural quality changes of Chinese
bayberry fruit during storage, and for quantifying the softening response of
bayberry fruit at different storage temperatures. In addition, the similar
decrease of fruit firmness, cohesiveness, resilience, springiness and chewiness
or increase of adhesiveness during bayberry fruit softening after harvest sug-
gests that any one of these six parameters could be used to monitor fruit
textural quality changes in Chinese bayberry.

Fruit Quality
There was a decrease in the measurement of fruit surface color lightness
(L* value) and an increase in hue angle value after harvest in each storage
temperature (Table 2), which indicates that the fruit became darker with
 TABLE 1.
CORRELATION (R) MATRIX BETWEEN TEXTURE PROFILE PARAMETERS DERIVED FROM TEXTURE PROFILE ANALYSIS (TPA) OF
CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUITS STORED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

TPA parameters Storage temperature (C) Firmness Adhesiveness Cohesiveness Resilience Springiness Chewiness

Firmness 20 1
10 1
1 1
Adhesiveness 20 -0.970** 1
10 -0.860* 1
1 -0.915** 1
Cohesiveness 20 0.885* -0.964** 1
10 0.940** -0.957* 1
1 0.936** -0.970** 1
Resilience 20 0.892* -0.933** 0.949** 1
10 0.912* -0.935** 0.906* 1
1 0.974** -0.964** 0.983** 1
Springiness 20 0.842* -0.943** 0.968** 0.852* 1
10 0.935** -0.894* 0.960** 0.911* 1
1 0.954** -0.967** 0.984** 0.979** 1
Chewiness 20 0.951** -0.991** 0.984** 0.964** 0.941** 1
10 0.985** -0.914* 0.982** 0.920** 0.971** 1
1 0.974** -0.964** 0.990** 0.995** 0.990** 1

The correlation coefficients between the TPA parameters were calculated using Pearsons regression model.
*, ** Indicate significant correlation at P = 0.05 or 0.01 level, respectively.
EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT TEXTURE 173
 174

TABLE 2.
FRUIT SURFACE COLOR, pH, TOTAL SOLUBLE SOLIDS (TSS) AND TITRATABLE ACIDITY (TA) CONTENTS OF CHINESE BAYBERRY
FRUITS STORED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

Fruit samples Fruit color pH TSS (%) TA (%)

L* a* b* C* ho

Initial 23.19 0.5a 10.12 0.6a 3.84 0.1a 10.83 0.7a 20.5 0.3c 3.07 0.015c 10.6 0.15a 1.00 0.006a
20C, 60 h 20.89 0.6c 10.14 0.2a 3.66 0.2a 10.43 0.8a 22.7 0.6a 3.38 0.015a 9.4 0.13c 0.78 0.005d
10C, 5 days
Z. YANG ET AL.

22.68 0.1ab 9.57 0.8a 3.88 0.2a 10.89 0.4a 21.7 0.4b 3.35 0.02a 9.4 0.11c 0.84 0.009c
1C, 14 days 22.03 0.3b 9.85 0.7a 3.89 0.2a 11.50 0.5a 21.4 0.3b 3.25 0.01b 9.8 0.21b 0.89 0.003b

L*, a*, b* are from fruit color measurements, C* is the chroma value, and ho is hue degree.
All the data are expressed as mean SD (n = 9).
Means with the same letters in the same column are not significantly different at the P < 0.05 level.
 EFFECTS OF STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON CHINESE BAYBERRY FRUIT TEXTURE 175

storage. Significant (P < 0.05) lower L* value and higher hue angle value were
found in bayberries stored at 20C than in those stored at 10 and 1C. No
significant differences were observed in a*, b* and C* values. These data
could be explained as a promotion of the fruit senescence process caused by
high temperature. This was confirmed by Xi et al. (1994), who found that high
temperature accelerated fruit senescence and resulted in shorter storage life in
Chinese bayberries.
TSS content decreased during storage in each temperature. At the end of
storage, a significantly higher (P < 0.05) TSS value in fruits stored at 1C was
detected in comparison with those stored at 10 and 20C (Table 2). The pH of
bayberry juice increased during storage, corresponding to a decrease in TA
content in each temperature. A significantly (P < 0.05) lower pH value and
higher TA content were observed in bayberries stored at 1C than in those
stored at 10 and 20C at the end of storage (Table 2). Our results were in
accordance with Xi et al. (1993), who found that TA and TSS content
decreased gradually in Chinese bayberry fruit during storage, and the extent of
such compositional losses was positively correlated with storage temperature.
These results could be explained by a higher respiratory rate that causes more
depletion of sugars and acids in fruit stored at higher temperatures.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased storage temperature resulted in accelerated decrease in fruit

firmness, cohesiveness, springiness, resilience and chewiness, and increase in
adhesiveness. There was a significant correlation among the six TPA param-
eters. Low temperature storage was beneficial for delaying textural changes
and maintaining the taste quality of Chinese bayberry fruit after harvest.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of

China (No. 30471215) and International Foundation for Science (E/3942-1).

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