Author
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HONG, JI - SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY |
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Gross, Kenneth |
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Submitted to: Postharvest Biology and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 10/26/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: It is estimated that 20 percent of all fruits and vegetables grown in the United States are never consumed due to postharvest losses that occur during shipping, storage, handling and marketing. These losses are even greater when one considers the losses that occur when consumers dispose of produce at home that has gone bad due to decay. When studying such deterioration, fresh fruits and vegetables are routinely washed in dilute concentrations of household bleach to sterilize their surface prior to experimentation. We have evaluated the effect of such sterilization on subsequent behavior of fresh produce. In particular, surface sterilization of tomato fruit resulted in significant deleterious changes in fruit softening, respiration and cellular integrity. The results suggest that routine surface sterilization of tomato fruit prior to postharvest experimentation may lead to physiological and biochemical alterations in behavior of fruit. These results will be very useful for researchers in the area of postharvest biology and technology who study fruits and vegetable quality after harvest. Technical Abstract: Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of concentration (0, 0.26 or 1.05 percent) and duration (0, 20 or 60 seconds) of sodium hypochlorite treatment on subsequent firmness, electrolyte leakage, respiration, and ethylene production of light red tomato fruit slices during storage at 5C under modified atmosphere (MA). Pericarp firmness of slices was lower for all treatments than for untreated controls. After 12 days of storage, pericarp firmness of slices from fruit that had been treated with 1.05 percent sodium hypochlorite for 60 seconds was less than one-half the firmness of water-treated controls and lower than the other sodium hypochlorite treatments. The effect of sodium hypochlorite on electrolyte leakage of slices stored at 5C was more closely related to treatment duration than to sodium hypochlorite concentration. The difference in electrolyte leakage between control fruit and fruit treated with 1.05 percent sodium hypochlorite for 60 seconds was 14.2, 25.6, and 25 percent at 4, 8, and 12 days, respectively. Development of water soaked areas was observed on slices from fruit treated with sodium hypochlorite, but little development of water soaked areas was detectable on slices from control fruit. An increase in ethylene and carbon dioxide production due to infection by Alternaria alternata was observed on slices from control fruit. These results suggest that routine surface sterilization of tomato fruit prior to postharvest experimentation may lead to physiological and biochemical alterations in behavior of fruit. |
