engleski

Postharvest fruit quality and occurrence intensity of pathogenic fungi on nectarine

Nectarine is a climacteric fruit which rapidly deteriorate at room temperature, and is susceptible to infection of pathogenic fungi. Since the application of fungicides on fruits after harvest is prohibited, heat treatments can be an alternative to prevent loss of market value. The effect of the heat treatments (hot air treatment and hot water dips) on fruit quality of nectarine (Prunus persica var. nectarina cv. 'Venus') after four weeks of storage at 0 oC was studied in this research. Hot air treatment included heating rate 24 oC/hour with a final temperature of 45 oC near stone. In following treatments, fruits were dipped in water heated to 48 oC (6 minutes) and 52 oC (2 minutes). The indicators of quality (weight loss, soluble solids, total acidity, pH and EC) were determined and the intensity of pathogen occurrence was established. Monilinia sp. was the most frequent pathogen whose occurrence was noticed in all treatments except control. Hot air treatment had the highest percentage of decayed fruits, while control and warm water heated to 48 °C had the lowest. Also, at this treatment significantly the highest fruit hardness is determined. In order to reduce the deterioration of fruits after harvest, hot water treatment could be a good alternative to chemical treatment.

nectarine; storage; heat treatment; fruit firmness; dry matter

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