TaBLE 10.— Changes in Golden Delicious apples during storage at 
31° F. as influenced by type of package, April 1952 
Respira- 
ae a : = Tacs tion 
Loss in Soluble Firm Visible OF fait 
: : - 
Container, film, and liner weight | pectin | ness shrivel CO.Kg 
'0.Kg. 
per hour 
Cell carton 
Plain fiberboard: 
Pliofilm— Percent Percent | Pound 
s Milligrams 
SOIR MiSoce eee 2. 96 0. 190 10.8 No 3. 60 
SOtH Poi. Sse 2A Wie Saige s Pe 10. 9 No a5 eae 
1OOCHIP? 2 2 See Pele . 1960 Eat No 3. 43 
Polyethylene 150 _______ 1. 94 . 168 10.8 No 3. 44 
No filme 2 oe Se 4. 60 . 168 10. 1 Yes 4. 60 
Waxed fiberboard: 
Novis Sees. ee a ie 5. 00 SUG! 10. 0 Wes, ||) See 
Check standard pack: 
Plain paper, no film___-_-_ 3. 61 . 168 10. 2 Yes 4, 45 
1 Used as gussetted bag liners and closed around the packed fruit by twist- 
seal. Corrugated fiberboard inserts to add rigidity and strength to the carton. 
Golden Delicious apples in the cell-type cartons protected by the 
various sealed films indicated in table 10, were similar in texture, 
fiavor, and appearance. The fruit was turgid, firm to hand pressure, 
and fresh in appearance, had a preferable light greenish-yellow cast 
to its golden color, and was free from lenticel prominence. None of 
the fruits were shriveled; all had a crisp, Juicy, crunchy texture. 
They possessed a delicate. slightly acidic aromatic flavor commonly 
associated with the taste of Golden Delicious apples early in the 
storage season. All of the plastic films listed in table 10 gave equally 
good storage protection when used as sealed liners. The appearance, 
condition, and dessert quality of such fruit was always far superior 
to comparable fruit held without protection of the sealed film when 
taken from cold storage in April. 
Atmospheres in Sealed Packages 
Data relative to the carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations in 
the sealed boxes of test fruit are given in table 11. At 31° F., these 
levels ranged from 2 to 5 percent “and from 10 to 15 percent for CO, 
and O., respectively. These concentrations were established early 
in the storage period and remained relatively unchanged thereafter. 
During ripening of the fruit in sealed film after removal from cold 
storage, carbon dioxide accumulated and oxygen decreased rapidly. 
Oxygen was absent in the sealed Pliofilm 100° HP container after 2 
days at 65° and only 1.5 percent was present in the polyethylene film 
after 3 days (table 11). As will be shown later, only Phofilm 100 HP 
produced atmospheres injurious to the dessert quality of the fruit. 
All other types of sealed films gave a margin of safety of at least 
+ days in the handling of Golden Delicious apples in sealed film at 
room temperatures. It is recommended, however, that all films be 
20 
