Changes in quality factors of ‘honey one’ melon during storage at different temperature

Abstract

The optimal temperature for storage was investigated to maintain the freshness of ‘Honey One’ melon. The melons were harvested on June 28, 2017 at the Chuncheon area in Gangwon Province, Korea. Three samples were packaged in corrugated box and were stored at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20°C. The melon stored at 20°C showed the highest weight loss difference of up to 2.1%, while the samples stored at 0°C and 5°C showed the lowest weight loss. The melon stored at 20°C changed pulp color rapidly during storage. The low storage temperatures (0°C and 5°C) effectively delayed the pulp softening and respiration rate of melon. A longer storage period decreases the hardness of melon. During six days of storage, the hardness of ‘Honey One’ melon at 20°C went down from 4.7 N up to 1.5 N. Soluble solid (SS) and free sugar contents did not change regardless of the storage temperatures. The sensory evaluation of sweetness and overall acceptability showed the highest value for melons stored at 5°C. The results suggested that optimum storage temperature of ‘Honey One’ melon to maintain its freshness was at 5°C.