Vol 106, No 12 (2017)

To regulate the gas composition in the chambers of cold storage of plant products, including apples, domestic and foreign researchers proposed various gasselective membranes based on fabric and polymer materials. They differ in the coefficient of variation, permeability, adhesion property, performance characteristics, selectivity and strength. This article is about a new composite membrane consisting of a substrate based on polyethylene terephthalate’s track membranes and a selective layer based on an organosilicon block copolymer with pore diameter of 0,2 µm and selectivity of 5,0 is used to store autumn apple varieties. The kinetic dependences of changes in the intensity of respiration and ascorbic acid on the duration of storage of autumn varieties of apples in a conventional and controlled atmosphere are established. Regression equations characterizing these dependencies are obtained. The rate constants of the pseudofirst order oxidation reactions of the reduced form of Lascorbic acid are determined. It is shown that during the storage of apples in a controlled atmosphere with a reduced oxygen concentration (up to 5,2 ± 0,1%) and an increased concentration of carbon dioxide (up to 3,6 ± 0,1%), physiologicalbiochemical processes are slowed, the biologically active substances are retained maximum quantity, the losses from microbial spoilage are reduced, and the storage time relative to control is increased by 1-1,5 months.