ISHS Acta Horticulturae 768: XXVII International Horticultural Congress - IHC2006: International Symposium on The Role of Postharvest Technology in the Globalisation of Horticulture
SHELF LIFE EXTENSION AND REDUCTION OF CHILLING INJURY OF 'HASS' AVOCADOS STORED AT ULTRA-LOW TEMPERATURES |
| Authors: | J.P. Bower, I. Bertling |
| Keywords: | water loss, polypropylene packaging, fruit maturity, fruit colour, stress |
| Abstract:
A number of disorders are prevalent in avocados when shipped long distances, including external chilling injury and internal collapse manifested as physiological mesocarp discolouration or pathological decay. In order to decrease postharvest stress and extend shelf life, the concept of minimizing water loss was studied. The use of wax fruit coatings was compared to untreated controls and packaging fruits in micro-perforated polypropylene bags as well as treating fruit with gibberellic acid and a compound ISR2000™ which shows auxin-like activity. Storage temperatures of 1°C and 5°C were investigated. It was found that low (1°C) storage for 30 d resulted in internally sound fruit, and that by minimizing fruit mass loss during storage, the potential for chilling injury could be decreased. A threshold value of mass loss relating to external damage is suggested. The lower temperature resulted in lower CO2 exchange after removal from storage, and such fruit also took longer to soften, extending the shelf life. In addition, it is possible to ship avocados at a temperature suitable for phytosanitary mitigation, extending marketing opportunities. The most successful treatment was packing the fruit in micro-perforated polypropylene bags. It is suggested that this technology could be extended to cartons and even pallets. | |
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