What is the Best Shine Muscat Storage Temperature?

🍇Shine Muscat is a seedless white grape developed in Japan🇯🇵. The fruit is large and can be eaten with the skin. Although it is expensive, it is very popular and I love it too. It is popular not only in Japan but also in Korea🇰🇷 and China🇨🇳.

🍇The main aroma components of Muscat are monoterpenes. In the case of the Shine Muscat, linalool is the main aroma component. In general, the longer food is stored, the more it loses its aroma and deteriorates. Institute of Fruit Tree Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has investigated the storage temperatures at which Muscat aroma can be maintained. You would think that a lower temperature would preserve the aroma longer, but in fact, the aroma kept longer when stored at 10 degrees Celsius than at 0 degrees Celsius. However, at 10 degrees Celsius, the grapes will rot in about 12 weeks.

🍇The research group further found that after several weeks of storage at 0°C, conditioning at 10°C restored the muscat aroma significantly. It means that long-term storage at a lower temperature, followed by conditioning at 10°C for at least 24 hours, can effectively restore the muscat flavor. Unfortunately, it has not been clarified why 10 degrees Celsius is better and why conditioning at 10 degrees Celsius restores the aroma. However, it is possible that post-harvest temperatures may affect linalool biosynthesis. Linalool is conserved in glycosidically bound forms, which are converted to volatile substances by enzymatic hydrolysis.