| Potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Binje) were stored at 18 and 4ºC in order to verify changes in mitochondrial metabolism, especially in the activities of the alternative oxidase (AOX) and plant uncoupling mitochondria protein (PUMP). Tubers were also sliced and submitted to artificial aging. The oxygen consumption rate (OCR), respiratory control (RC) and ADP/O ratio for mitochondria obtained after storage at 18ºC were not altered, regardless of the time of storage. Considerable increment in OCR, for both respiratory states 3 and 4, was observed after storing the tubers for five and ten days at 4ºC; and it was accomplished by reductions in RC and ADP/O. The AOX activity was evident after five days at 4ºC, and it was enhanced after ten days of storage... |
