replaced in cold storage for another 60 days. 

 Following the 150 days, fruit were again removed for 

 obsenation, kept at room temperature for 7 days to 

 approximate conditions to which they might be 

 subjected prior to consumption, and then pressure 

 tested and tasted. 



Table 1 shows the storage disorders observed on 

 the fruit following cold storage, as well as the flesh 

 firmness at the end of the 1 50 days of cold storage and 

 week at room temperature. The only disorder which 

 was significantly influenced by the delay of cold 

 storage was soft scald. Delaying cold storage 

 essentially eliminated soft scald; however, soft scald 

 was not much of a problem. Only 4% of fruit 

 de\ eloped the disorder even when cold storage was not 

 delayed. Delaying storage would be recommended if 

 soft scald were a problem, but it did not appear to be a 

 problem for us (at least in 2002). Decay, internal 

 browning, skin greasiness, and off fla\ or development 

 were much greater problems, but treatments did not 

 influence these problems differently. 



Delaying cold storage did not appear to have a 

 significant negative effect on quality of stored 

 Honeycrisp fruit. The storage problems that were 

 evident were not made worse by delaying storage up to 

 4 days, so that if soft scald were a problem, this 

 solution would not have a substantial down side, other 

 than that of the inconvenience of moving the fruit an 



e.xtra time. This is not to suggest 

 that it is not generally important to 

 cool fruit as quickly as possible, 

 but to suggest that in the case of 

 Honeycrisp the benefit of delay 

 may outweigh the risks. 



More important to us than soft 

 scald have been decay and internal 

 browning. Internal browning is 

 especially problematic, since it is 

 not visible on the packing line, and 

 therefore seen first by the con- 

 sumer. The browning tends to 

 show up as a light brown 

 sponginess of a large portion of 

 the cortex of the apple. 0\erall. 

 25% of the fruit harvested Sep- 

 tember 16 and 23, 2002 suffered 

 from internal browning after 5 months of cold storage 

 and I week at room temperature. 



Time of hanest had a powerful effect on internal 

 browning as well as other qualities of stored fruit 

 (Table 2). Decay was not affected by time of hanest, 

 but internal browning, skin greasiness, and off flavors 

 of fruit were significantly reduced less frequent in truit 

 harvested on September 16 compared to those 

 harvested on September 23. The earlier harvested trait 

 were also fimier. 



In another experiment including two earlier 

 harvest dates but no storage delay, the effect of time of 

 harvest on post-storage frait quality was even more 

 dramatic (Table 3). The only storage disorder that 

 developed on fruit har\'ested on September 5 or 1 was 

 decay, plus a trace of internal browning. It should be 

 noted, too, that while superficial scald can be a post- 

 storage problem on early-har\'ested fruit, it did not 

 develop on these Honeycrisp. 



It is possible to use measurements of fruit ripening 

 to assess a ban est date for Honeycrisp that will result 

 in fewer storage problems (Table 4). A starch index of 

 5.5 to 6.0 has been recommended for Honeycrisp. In 

 2002, harvest of Honeycrisp fruit with starch index 

 values in this range would have resulted in little 

 development of storage disorders. Further, frait were 

 significantly firmer at the earlier harvests. Lack of red 

 color is the only negative aspect of early harvest. 



'k i: :k ^ :k 



Fruit Notes, Volume 68, Spring, Summer, & Fall, 2003 



