Postharvest handling, storage, and treatment of fresh market berries

Author(s):  
Cynthia Bower
HortScience ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 468-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra A. Salgado ◽  
John R. Clark

The University of Arkansas (UA) blackberry breeding program began in 1964, with the aim to provide high-quality fruit to the fresh market industry. One of the important traits for successful blackberry (Rubus subgenus Rubus Watson) postharvest handling is flesh firmness, so developing cultivars with high firmness is a top priority for the fresh market blackberry breeding programs across the world. In particular, the Arkansas blackberry program has a wide range of genotypes with exceptional firmness characteristics, including fruit with a unique crispy texture and firmness. During 2013 and 2014, fruit firmness measurements were done on 15 Arkansas genotypes including those with crispy and noncrispy textures. Firmness measurements consisted of fruit compression, skin drupelet penetration, and receptacle penetration. Confocal photos were taken on sections of berries of a subset of crispy and noncrispy genotypes, and color reversion was evaluated among these genotypes after storage. Compression force values differentiated crispy and noncrispy genotypes, with average values of 11.8 Newton (N) and 8.0 N, respectively. Drupelet penetration force was also higher for crispy genotypes averaging 0.23 N and noncrispy 0.15 N; similarly, receptacle penetration force averaged 0.20 N for crispy and 0.18 N for noncrispy genotypes. Visual inspection of fruit tissue revealed that drupelet mesocarp cells and receptacle cells and cell walls of crispy genotypes maintained their structure during ripening and did not break apart, whereas noncrispy genotypes did not maintain their structure and cellular integrity. Color reversion is a postharvest disorder in which drupelets of blackberry fruits turn red after being black at harvest. Therefore, it has a negative impact for growers, shippers, and consumers. After storage at 5 °C for 7 days, crispy genotypes expressed low levels of reversion compared with noncrispy genotypes. For crispy genotypes, 13.2% of drupelets developed color reversion, whereas a 41.0% developed this disorder in noncrispy genotypes, implying a better postharvest potential of this texture.


1987 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. SHEWFELT ◽  
S. C. MEYERS ◽  
S. E. PRUSSIA ◽  
J. L. JORDAN

2013 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 1547-1558 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Lopez-Velasco ◽  
A. Tomas-Callejas ◽  
D. Diribsa ◽  
P. Wei ◽  
T.V. Suslow

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 480f-481
Author(s):  
C. Elizabeth Succop ◽  
Steven E. Newman

Fresh-market basil has become a viable greenhouse commodity in Colorado. Marketing pressures and profit advantages also encourage the production of certified organic produce. The research objectives were to determine the length of time basil plants were productive in the greenhouse and to compare the production of fresh-market basil grown with three root zone systems and two fertilizer treatments. The three systems were hydroponic rockwool slab culture, hydroponic perlite raised bed culture, and hydroponic peat/perlite/compost bag culture. The two types of hydroponic fertilizer treatments were a salt-based formulated nutrient solution and an organic solution consisting of fermented poultry compost, hydrolized fish emulsion, and soluble kelp. The plants were harvested once per week for fresh weight determination. The results from the two runs show greater productivity for the plants in the perlite system as well as the bag mix system when fertilized with the organic fertilizer compared to salt-based fertilizer. However, productivity of the plants in the rockwool system was greater with the salt-based treatment compared to the organic treatment.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 545a-545
Author(s):  
M.D. Boyette

Prompt cooling to remove field heat is an essential part of proper postharvest handling for many types of fresh fruits and vegetables. Growers, consultants, and horticultural agents are often encouraged to collect cooling data (time vs. temperature) in order to compare cooling rates for different systems, containers, etc. These data can be misleading and confusing and seldom yield much useful information. With proper analysis, cooling data can yield a large amount of information. The problem is not the fault of the data, as much as the lack of simple methods to analyze these data. This presentation will demonstrate several simple methods to extract useful information from cooling data.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1063
Author(s):  
Laura Gálvez ◽  
Daniel Palmero

In recent years, different postharvest alterations have been detected in garlic. In many cases, the symptoms are not well defined, or the etiology is unknown, which further complicates the selection of bulbs during postharvest handling. To characterize the different symptoms of bulb rot caused by fungi, garlic bulb samples were collected from six Spanish provinces in two consecutive years. Eight different fungal species were identified. The most prevalent postharvest disease was Fusarium dry rot (56.1%), which was associated with six Fusarium species. Fusarium proliferatum was detected in more than 85% of symptomatic cloves, followed by F. oxysporum and F. solani. Pathogenicity tests did not show a significant correlation between virulence and mycotoxin production (fumonisins, beauvericin, and moniliformin) or the mycelial growth rate. Penicillium allii was detected in 12.2% of the samples; it was greatly influenced by the harvest season and garlic cultivar, and three different morphotypes were identified. Stemphylium vesicarium and Embellisia allii were pathogenic to wounded cloves. Some of the isolated fungal species produce highly toxic mycotoxins, which may have a negative impact on human health. This work is the first to determine the quantitative importance, pathogenicity, and virulence of the causative agents of postharvest garlic rot in Spain.


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