Abstract:Sweet oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.] were stored in ultra lowoxygen condition (0.3% O2 + 0.0 %CO2) at 5 ℃ and in normal air condition at 5 ℃ and 10 ℃ to investigate the contents of volatile compounds in fruit tissue, in order to evaluate the fruit quality and physiological disorder in ultra lowoxygen atmosphere storage.Ultra low O2 treatment significantly stimulated the accumulation of ethanol and acetaldehyde in the fruits, although their concentrations in control fruits increased considerably with storage time.Ethanol contents reached 519.8 μg/kg in peel and 1 547.1 μg/kg in juice,respectively,after 30 days in ultra lowoxygen condition, which were about 83 times higher than those in control fruits. Ultra low O2 treatment had no significant effect on soluble solids content, pH and titratable acidity. When ethanol content in juice was below 1 000 μg/kg, the fruit flavour and quality were normal.