Textural Monitoring of Ripening Process of Hayward Kiwi Stored with Apple and Quince

The possibility of using apple and quince in the natural ripening process of climacteric kiwi fruit, which takes a long time to ripen due to a low ethylene release level after harvest, was investigated. Kiwi samples were stored separately, accompanied by apple and quince at different storage temperatures (4⁰C and 20⁰C) and periods (15, 30 and 45 days) and examined in terms of textural properties. It was determined that storage process accompanied by apple decreased firmness, chewiness and gumminess values of kiwi samples. In contrast, the storage process accompanied by quince did not exhibit a significant decreasing effect on these values. Storage process at room temperature and increase in storage time led to decreases in textural parameters in general. The penetration force (137.25-1722.33 g) and penetration work values (352.40-6453.45 g.s) of samples mainly changed depending on firmness. A similar tendency was also observed in relaxation time (8.40-124.83 s), maximum force (1.05-77.50 N) and minimum force values (0.41-50.07 N). As a result, it has been determined that storage process accompanied by apple is a quite good option in the natural, fast and accessible ripening process of kiwi and provides approximately 28% general reduction in fruit firmness. Storage treatment accompanied by quince can be recommended for demands in which the current ripeness level of kiwi is desired to be kept. In addition, it has been concluded that in cases in which rapid ripening is required, the choosing of storage process at room conditions will be more suitable due to its ripening-promoting effect.