Electrical properties of apples during ripening

In order to understand electrical properties of fruits during ripening, Fuji apples were used to study the influences of frequency and voltage on electrical property parameters, and change regularities of electrical property parameters, physiological and bio-chemical property parameters in ripening period. The reasons that caused the change in values of electrical properties were analyzed. The results indicated that apple maturity did not have influence on frequency dependence of electrical property parameters, but maturity affected voltage dependence of the electrical parameters. During ripening, respiration intensity decreased monotonously. The relative dielectric constant and pH value decreased gradually in earlier period of ripening, but they increased in later period. The resistivity and total soluble solids content increased in earlier period and decreased in later period. The turning points of these parameters appeared in the same time. It illustrates that there are correlation between electrical property parameters and internal qualities, and electrical property parameters can reflect the changes of internal components of apples.