COLD STORAGE FOR APPLES AND PEARS 11 



stored within 4 days after picking. Mcintosh. Delicious, and other 

 varieties are sometimes affected. In the Winesap, soft scald is largely 

 confined to fruit that has been held in common storage for a period 

 and then moved into cold-storage temperatures of 30° to 32°. Soft 

 scald can be prevented by holding the fruit in 25-percent carbon 

 dioxide gas for 24 hours before storage at 30° to 32°. 



Soggy break-down is a disease of the tissue of certain varieties of 

 apples that has similar causes. It is largely avoided by using storage 

 temperatures of 36° F. or above. It most commonly appears in Grimes 

 Golden and Golden Delicious and is characterized by internal regions 

 of brown spongy tissue, frequently with no outward signs until deteri- 

 oration has reached advanced stages. The dead tissue appears as 

 sharply defined islands or bands between core and skin or may extend 

 to the skin and there coalesce with the surface manifestations of typical 

 soft scald. 



SCALDLIKE DISORDERS 



Apples subjected unduly long to heated washing solutions, as when 

 the washer is stopped with unrinsed fruit in the washing section, some- 

 times get the appearance of scald without the distinguishing evidence 

 of heat cracks. This is caused by a bleaching of the pigment and sub- 

 sequent browning of affected areas, and becomes evident within a few 

 days after washing. Usually the discolored areas are more intense 

 where the wax has been removed at scratches or abrasions, although 

 in severe cases the entire apple takes on a cooked appearance. In less 

 severe cases a diffuse discoloration appears over the entire surface, 

 whereas in apple scald such discoloration is first observed in patches 

 or on the unblushed side of the fruit. Apples so injured are subject 

 to shriveling and are unsuitable for prolonged storage. 



Golden Delicious and Yellow Xewtown apples that hang on the tree 

 with the cheek freely exposed to the sun may have sunburn that is not 

 very noticeable at the time of packing, but after a period in storage 

 the areas take on an appearance that is difficult to distinguish from 

 apple scald. This should be diagnosed as delayed sunburn. It does 

 not materially shorten the storage life of the fruit and when found on 

 occasional specimens does not require the early disposal necessary when 

 occasional specimens are found with apple scald. The only pre- 

 vention is a more careful sorting of sunburned apples at the time of 

 packing. 



Small sunken scalded spots result from the contact of apples with 

 Douglas-fir wood. They may result from contact with fir-tree props 

 or from packing in fir boxes. The toxic effect of this wood will pene- 

 trate paper wraps and box liners. 



FREEZING INJURY 



Injury from freezing ranges from no visible evidence following in- 

 cipient ice formation in the flesh to a brown discoloration of the 

 entire apple following "freezing to death" at prolonged low tem- 

 peratures. Intermediate stages of injury may be only a slight soften- 

 ing of the flesh, which, however, should be interpreted as indicating a 

 shortened storage life; a flaky or corky character in a flesh lacking 

 normal crispness ; brown discoloration of tissue around the 10 fibrovas- 



