Continuous exposure to ethylene in the storage environment adversely affects 'Afourer' mandarin fruit quality

•Reducing ethylene in the storage atmosphere reduces the rate of fruit deterioration.•Reduces respiration, calyx deterioration, ethanol level, loss of eating quality.•Beneficial effects of reduced ethylene are obtained at all storage temperatures.•Limitation to storage life at 5° and 0 °C was ethanol accumulation.•Limitation at 20 °C was calyx mould and at 10 °C was detachment of calyx and acid loss.

'Afourer' mandarins were stored in air containing ethylene at 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 μL L−1 at 20, 10, 5 and 0 °C and changes in a range of external and internal quality parameters were examined for up to 10 weeks in storage. At all storage temperatures, reducing ethylene concentration in the storage environment decreased the rate of respiration, visible deterioration of the calyx region, ethanol accumulation in the juice, loss of eating quality, and at chilling temperatures reduced rind pitting. The quality attributes limiting mandarin storage life differed between the different storage temperatures but retention of mandarin quality was always optimised by maintaining the lowest possible ethylene atmosphere around fruit. Thus, the primary target should be to ensure the ethylene levels are ≤0.01 μL L−1, as loss of quality was accelerated above this concentration.