Studies on the Storage Condition and Quality Change of Chinese Chestnut after Harvest

This paper deals with storage methods,storage temperatures and changes of chemical substances during storage of Chinese chestnut(Castanea mollissima cv.Yanfeng and C. mollissima cv.Hongyouli).The results were as follow:(1)When the chestnut was stored at the temperature of 0～2 ℃,the weight loss was serious,the seed shrank and sprouted at the later stage of storage.(2)When the chestnut was stored at MA storage condition,the weight loss was less and the seed was kept freshly,but the sprouting of the seed still occurred at the later stage.(3)CA storage could control the weight loss and sprouting of the seed effectively,but the storage cost was too high and the storage technique was too strict to operate.(4)Based on MA condition,the storage temperature was regulated to-0.5～1.5 ℃,0～2 ℃ and-2～-4 ℃ at the initial,middle and later storage stage respectively,the chestnut was fresh,the sprouting was prevented and the decomposition of starch and protein were slow,so the quality and flavor of the stored chestnut was kept very well.By this storage method,Chinese chestnut can be stored for more than 8 months,the rate of weight loss,rot and sprouting were 2.0%～2.3%,0.6%～1.6% and 0 respectively.