DYNAMICS OF BIOCHEMICAL INDICATORS OF HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRIES DURING POSTHARVEST STORAGE

Blueberries, considered non-climacteric fruits, must be harvested at optimal ripeness for consumption. Due to the high water content, the storage life of the fruit is very short. The loss of water accelerates the senescence of the fruits, simultaneously with the deterioration of the biochemical quality of the fruits. This study provides a systematic evaluation of the observed changes in water content, total dry matter, sugars, organic acids and vitamin C in blueberries, under refrigerated conditions at 4°C, starting at the time of fruit harvesting and continuing in the interval 7, 14, 30, 45 days after harvesting. The study was conducted on two blueberry varieties Delicia and Bluecrop. The loss of water content observed and through the weight loss of the fruit caused the increase in the level of sugars and total dry matter per mass unit. The degradation of organic acids and vitamin C in fruits was influenced by the duration of storage. The obtained results were also significantly influenced by the genetic characteristics of the variety or the year of the study.