Author
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Wang, Chien |
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Submitted to: Interamerican Society of Tropical Horticulture Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Chilling injury is a problem in most crops of tropical or subtropical origin. Often commodities that are chilled look sound when removed from low temperature. However, symptoms of chilling injury become evident in a few days at warmer temperatures. Symptoms of chilling injury such as pitting, discoloration, internal breakdown, and decay can result in substantial postharvest losses during marketing. Several techniques have been found to reduce chilling injury. These techniques include low temperature preconditioning, heat treatment, intermittent warming, controlled atmosphere storage, treatments with calcium or other chemicals, waxing, film packaging, genetic modification, and applications with ethylene, abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, polyamines, or other natural compounds. This review article describes factors affecting chilling injury susceptibility, responses of tropical and subtropical crops to chilling temperatures, and methods of alleviating chilling injury. Better understanding of the mechanisms of chilling injury will lead to the development of improved techniques to reduce injury caused by low temperature exposure. Technical Abstract: Many fruits and vegetables of tropical or subtropical origin are sensitive to low temperatures. These crops are injured after a period of exposure to chilling temperatures below 10 degrees to 15 degrees C but above their freezing points. At these chilling temperatures, the tissues weaken because they are unable to carry on normal metabolic processes. Various physiological and biochemical alterations and cellular dysfunctions occur in chilling-sensitive species in response to chilling stress. When chilling stress is prolonged, these alterations and dysfunctions will lead to the development of a variety of chilling injury symptoms such as surface lesions, internal discoloration, water- soaking of the tissue, and failure to ripen normally. Fruits and vegetables that have been chilled are also particularly susceptible to decay. Treatments which have been shown to alleviate chilling injury include low temperature preconditioning, heat treatment, intermittent warming, controlled atmosphere storage, treatments with calcium or other chemicals, waxing, film packaging, genetic manipulation, and applications with ethylene, abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, polyamines, or other natural compounds. |
