Effect of the commercial ripening stage and postharvest storage on microbial and aroma changes of 'Ambrunés' sweet cherries.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of the commercial ripening stage and postharvest storage on microbial and aroma changes of 'Ambrunés' sweet cherries. The microbial counts and volatile profile of sweet cherry batches automatically sanitized and classified in three commercial ripening stages were studied for five postharvest storages. The batches were also evaluated sensorially, and the correlations between volatile compounds and aroma quality were determined. The microbial counts provided evidence that 21 days of cold storage is near the maximum extension of 'Ambrunés' sweet cherry storage in maintaining the minimal microbial quality during their shelf-life period. Relevant changes associated with longer cold storages were found in different aroma constituents with a negative impact on flavor. These changes were more evident in less ripened sweet cherries, including a decrease of (E)-2-hexenal and 1-hexanol and an increase of 2-methyl-propanal and 2-methyl-butanal. These compounds could constitute a good tool to predict flavor quality in 'Ambrunés' sweet cherries during the cold-storage process.