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UC DavisUC Davis

KACKAC

STONE FRUIT POSTHARVEST HANDLING

Carlos H. CrisostoDepartment of Plant Sciences

chcrisosto@ucdavis.edu

CA Well Mature

M

Nectarine and Peach

Ground Color Guides of the

California Tree Fruit

Agreement (CTFA)

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Cherry Color Categories

Full Dark Plum and Full Red

Nectarines and Peaches

Maximum Maturity

Critical Bruising Threhold

Bruising Potential

Quality

Firmness

G’s

HarvestHaulingPackinglineTransportationRetail handling

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Developing Tree Ripe Standards

Crisosto, et al., 2001. Journal American Pomological Society 55(2): 76-81

Proposed harvest maturity/quality indexes based on firmness and minimum SSC for different plum cultivars.

CultivarFirmness

(lb)Minimum

SSC(%)

Blackamber 7-9 10-12Z

Fortune 7-9 11

Friar 7-9 11

Royal D. 7-9 11

Angeleno 6-9 12

Betty Anne 7-9 12

ZBlackamber plums with TA 0.60% after ripening have a high consumer acceptance. If plums have > 12.0% SSC, TA does not play a role.

More Types of Tree Fruit

About 70 varieties released per year.

50% of the releases are sub acid types.

Crisosto and Crisosto. 2005. Postharvest Biology and Technology 39: 10-18.

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0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

Apple G

ala

Apple G

ranny S

mith

Apricots

Blueb

errie

s

Cherrie

s

Cranber

ries

Curran

t red

Curran

t Bla

ckFig

s

Gra

pe re

d

Gra

pe gre

en

Guava

Kiwi

Mel

on Honey

dew

Mel

on can

talo

upe

Necta

rine

Ora

nge

Peach

Pear

Pinea

pplePlu

m

Raspber

ry

Straw

berry

Tanger

ine

Wat

erm

elon

OR

AC

(m

ol

TE

/ 1

00

g)

Total Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC)

US Department of Agriculture, 2007.

The black columns highlight Prunus species

Brown RotGrey Mold

Mucor Rot

Stone Fruit DecaySour Rot

Pre-Washing

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Water DisinfectionChlorine and

Detergent

Free Chlorine 50-100ppm

Brushing and Washing

Waxing & Fungicide OperationCurrently Used FungicidesDCNA (Allisan)Fenhexamid (Elevate)Fludioxonil (Scholar)Iprodione (Mentor)

Trained Panel

Describing Cultivars based on Sensory Attributes.

1994-2010: Trained panel

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Sensory Segregation (PNP Flavor Code)

Cultivar x Source (three years)23 peach cultivars x 4 sources = 92

27 nectarine cultivars x 4 sources = 108

12 plum cultivars x 4 sources = 48

ANOVA, PCA and Ward Segregation

C.H. Crisosto et al. Postharvest Biology and Technology (2007) 44: 271-276

76 %

61 %

Flavor/

Sweetness

Aroma

Sourness 90%

Segregation of 12 plum and 4 pluot cultivars from different

breeding programs

according to their sensory

characteristics as perceived by a trained panel and determined

by PCA

Have you seen any of these problems?

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PhysicalDamage

Contamination

Inking or Staining Crisosto et al., 1999. California Agriculture 53(1): 19-23.

pH 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0

Non-susceptible Cultivars

Susceptible Cultivars

Skin Burning

ORP Monitor System

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Peach Cork Spot

Orchard Factors

1991-2010

Crisosto, Johnson, Day, and DeJong. 1997. HortScience 32 (5) 820-823

Irrigation

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Plant Nutrition

InternalBreakdown

Mealiness

Flesh browning

Lack of flavor

Failure to ripen

Lurie and Crisosto. 2005. Postharvest Biology and Technology 37: 195-208.

Plum symptoms observed during cold storage

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Effect of Temperature on ‘Carnival’ Peach Internal Breakdown After Storage Plus 2 Days at 68ºF

0ºC 2.2ºC 5ºC

10ºC7.2ºCSmith, W.H., 1934. Cold storage of Elberta peaches. Ice and Cold Storage. 37, 54-57.Crisosto, et al., 1999. Susceptibility to chilling injury of peach, nectarine, and plum cultivars grown in California.

HortScience 34(6):1116-1118

Killing Temperature Range

Consumer Problem

WHY DOES MEALINESS OCCUR?

OVER-RIPE(firm)

“Killing temperature” 2-8oC1 to 6 weeks

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WHAT IS MEALINESS?

Fruit that are soft but not juicy

Cell wall changes during normal peach fruit ripening and in chilling injury causing lack of available juice and

mealiness

Cell wall of flowering plants

Carpita and Gibeaut (1993) Plant J. 3: 1-30

•Cellulose•Matrix glycans•Pectins•Structural proteins

COLD STORAGE + RIPENING → JUICY FRUIT

ENZYME CHANGES DURING RIPENING

TIME

high

low

COLD STORAGE

• cells separate evenly

• cells break apart to release juice

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COLD STORAGE + RIPENING → FRUIT

ENZYME CHANGES DURING RIPENING

TIME

high

low

COLD STORAGE

• cells clump together• cells do not break apart easily• cell walls adsorb water

increasing severity

Light microscopy of juicy and mealy fruit

A. Harvest

B. Storage 1 week

C. Storage 1 week + ripening (juicy)

D. Storage 3 weeks

E. Storage 3 weeks + ripening (mealy)

At harvest or after 1 week storage there is tight adhesion between cells and small air spaces

Juicy fruit have slightly rounded cells with increased cell separation

Mealy fruit have cells that are more spherical,

with large intercellular air spaces

Juicy

Mealy

Harvest Storage Storage+ripening

Short Term Approach

Segregate cultivars by their market life potential.

Monitor flesh temperature.

Develop practical technology to limit the CI problem.

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Blondie from the Fresno Bee 12/30/04

Blondie from the Fresno Bee 12/30/04

Blondie from the Fresno Bee 12/30/04

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CULTIVAR CI SUSCEPTIBILITY

Some cultivars are consistently susceptible…

…suggesting a STRONG GENETIC INFLUENCE

Georgia BelleO’Henry

Rich Lady

Summer Grand

August Red

Sugar GiantJune Sun

May GloSpring Red Summer Lady

Autumn RoseParade

Carnival

Last ChanceRyan SunElegant Lady

White LadyFay Elberta

Ruby Diamond Flavorcrest

0% of fruit 100% of fruit

Plum market life held at two storage temperatures based on chilling injury symptom development.

Category Cultivar 32 °F 41°FA Betty Anne 5 5

October Sun 5 5

Flavor Rich 5 5

Joanne Red 5 5

B Angeleno 5 3

Fortune 5 3

Hiromi Red 5 3

Blackamber 5 2

Purple Majesty 5 3

F Show Time 4 2

Friar 4 2

Earliqueen 3 2

Crisosto et., 2008. Adv. Hort. Sci., 22(3) 201-204.

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5ºC 20 Days

0ºC 20 Days

20ºC 48 Hours + 5ºC 20 Days

20ºC 48 Hours + 0ºC 20 Days`

(43% Mealy)

(0% Mealy)(100% Mealy)

(0% Mealy)

Crisosto, Carlos H., David Garner, Harry L. Andris, and Kevin R. Day. Controlled delayed cooling extends peach market life. HortTechnology 14:99-104.

Peach Delayed Cooling

470 progeny 70 progeny

Pop-DG Pop-G

DR DAVIS x GEORGIA BELLE GEORGIA BELLE selfed

(Each of the progeny was planted on 2 rootstocks)

LONG-TERM SOLUTION

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Packaging Systems

Ranch Packing Mechanized

20 a 60 G

40 a 250 G

Hand harvest

Ranch Packing of Fruit Harvested into Buckets

Set buckets onSet buckets onbucket trailersbucket trailers

Deliver toDeliver topacking areapacking area

Sort, size, and Sort, size, and pack from bucketspack from buckets

Cool andCool andholdhold

Load into Load into refrigeratedrefrigerated

transport vehiclestransport vehicles

DistributeDistribute

Transfer to Transfer to central coolingcentral cooling

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Bucket Operation

Bucket Dump Operation

Tote Dumping

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Mechanized Packing of Fruit Harvested into Bins

Dump bags intoDump bags intofield binsfield bins

Deliver toDeliver topackinghousepackinghouse

Cool and holdCool and holdin binsin bins

Cool andCool andholdhold

Load into Load into refrigeratedrefrigerated

transport vehiclestransport vehicles

DistributeDistribute

MechanicallyMechanicallypackpack

Harvesting

Hauling

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Hydrocooling

Shower Hydrocooler

Bin Dump Operation

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Sorting

Singulator

Sizing by Weight

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Tray Pack

Final Sorting & Packing

Final Sorting & Packing

Volume Filled

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Inspection

Forced Air Cooling

Optimal Storage Conditions:

-1 to 1ºC

90 to 95% RH

Storage Duration:

2 to 6 weeks, depending on

cultivar

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