Plant oil emulsion modifies internal atmosphere, delays fruit ripening, and inhibits internal browning in Chinese pears

'Laiyang Chili’ and ‘Ya Li’ (Pyrus bertschneideri Reld) pears were treated with 3, 6, and 9% emulsions of commercial or refined (reduced -tocopherol levels) plant (soybean, corn, peanut, linseed, and cottonseed) oils at harvest an stored at 0°C for 6 months. Effects of oil treatments on ethylene production, respiration, fruit firmness, fruit color, soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acids (TA), internal browning (IB), and internal CO₂, O₂, and ethanol were studied. At the same concentration, oil treatments induced similar responses regardless of their sources or their -tocopherol concentrations. In both cultivars, ethylene production and respiration in fruit treated with 9% oils were lower in early storage and higher in late storage than that in the controls. Oils at 6% reduced IB, at 9% inhibited IB completely, and at 3% was not effective after 6 months at 0°C and 7 days at 20°C. Plant oil treatment maintained fruit color, firmness, SSC, and TA in a concentration-dependent manner during storage. In the first 4 months storage, 9% corn oil-treated fruit contained similar partial pressure of CO₂ and O₂ as the controls. After 5 months storage, oil-treated fruit contained higher partial pressure of CO₂ and lower levels of O₂ than the controls. When held at 20°C for 7 days, changes of internal CO₂ and O₂ were slower but partial pressure of CO₂ were higher, and O₂ were lower, in 9% corn oil-treated fruit than in the controls. Internal ethanol was not affected by oil treatment compared with control, either during storage or 7 days at 20°C. No off-flavor was detected in either oil-treated and control fruit by sensory evaluation.