Abstract
Mature intact ;Bartlett' pear fruit (Pyrus communis L.) were stored under a continuous flow of air or air + 10% CO(2) for 4 days at 20 degrees C. Fruit kept under elevated CO(2) concentrations exhibited reduced respiration (O(2) consumption) and ethylene evolution rates, and remained firmer and greener than fruit stored in air. Protein content, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate levels, and ATP:phosphofructokinase and PPi:phosphofructokinase activities declined, while levels of fructose 6-phosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate increased in fruit exposed to air + 10% CO(2). These results are discussed in light of a possible inhibitory effect of CO(2) at the site of action of both phosphofructokinases in the glycolytic pathway, which could account, at least in part, for the observed reduction in respiration.