Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), with its wide array of colors and flavors, plays an important role in many different cuisines around the world. Yet once harvested, it is a highly perishable fruit and needs appropriate post-harvest handling. Recently, post-harvest internal rotting (IFR) by Fusarium lactis species complex isolates (FLASC), became an additional challenge to maintain shelf-life and quality of bell pepper fruit. Therefore, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was explored as a possible technique to postpone symptom development of infected bell peppers. Four artificially infected bell pepper cultivars with different susceptibility towards IFR were stored under MAP conditions for a maximum of 14 d at challenging conditions of 20 °C resembling unrefrigerated shelf life conditions. Each week, 5 fruit of each object were analyzed for IFR symptom development and additional physicochemical and quality parameters. For all cultivars, MAP packaged fruit showed less severe fungal proliferation compared to controls after 14 d. As total titratable acid (TA), total soluble solids (TSS) and vitamin C concentrations in fruit remained rather stable throughout the experiment, fungal development was likely to be postponed directly due to reduced oxygen levels in the pouches rather than a decreased host susceptibility by influencing fruit metabolism. Since no significant differences of disease development were observed between sensitive and less sensitive cultivars for both colors, sensitivity for IFR seems not likely to be caused by different post-harvest disease development patterns but rather by differences in the initial susceptibility for flower infection under normal growth conditions. Based on our results, MAP can indeed be considered a useful tool to ameliorate IFR development during post-harvest storage of bell pepper under conventional temperatures of 7−16 °C.

甜椒（Capsicum annuum L.）具有广泛的颜色和风味，在世界各地的许多美食中都起着重要的作用。然而，一旦收获，它是一种极易腐烂的水果，需要适当的收获后处理。最近，镰刀菌收获后的内部腐烂（IFR）种复合物分离物（FLASC）成为保持甜椒果实保质期和质量的又一挑战。因此，探索了气调包装（MAP）作为推迟受感染甜椒症状发展的一种可能技术。在MAP条件下，将4个对IFR敏感性不同的人工感染的甜椒品种在20°C的挑战性条件下（类似于未冷藏的货架期），最多存储14 d。每周分析每个对象的5个水果的IFR症状发展以及其他理化和质量参数。对于所有品种，MAP包装的果实在14 d后与对照相比，显示出的严重真菌增殖较少。作为总可滴定酸（TA），在整个实验中，水果中的总可​​溶性固形物（TSS）和维生素C的浓度保持相当稳定，真菌的生长很可能直接推迟了，原因是袋中的氧气含量降低，而不是通过影响水果的新陈代谢而降低了寄主敏感性。由于在两种颜色的敏感和较不敏感品种之间均未观察到疾病发展的显着差异，因此对IFR的敏感性似乎不太可能由不同的收获后疾病发展模式引起，而是由正常生长下花朵感染的初始易感性差异引起的。使适应。根据我们的结果，MAP确实可以被认为是改善甜椒收获后在7-16°C的常规温度下IFR发育的有用工具。真菌的生长很可能直接由于袋中的氧气含量降低而不是通过影响水果代谢而降低宿主易感性而被推迟。由于在两种颜色的敏感和较不敏感品种之间均未观察到疾病发展的显着差异，因此对IFR的敏感性似乎不太可能由不同的收获后疾病发展模式引起，而是由正常生长下花朵感染的初始易感性差异引起的。使适应。根据我们的结果，MAP确实可以被认为是改善甜椒收获后在7-16°C的常规温度下IFR发育的有用工具。真菌的生长很可能直接由于袋中的氧气含量降低而不是通过影响水果代谢而降低宿主易感性而被推迟。由于在两种颜色的敏感和较不敏感品种之间均未观察到疾病发展的显着差异，因此对IFR的敏感性似乎不太可能由不同的收获后疾病发展模式引起，而是由正常生长下花朵感染的初始易感性差异引起的。使适应。根据我们的结果，MAP确实可以被认为是改善甜椒收获后在7-16°C的常规温度下IFR发育的有用工具。