wooden boxes without protection of sealed film box liners. Polyethy- 
lene film provided the greatest protection against shrivel : paraflined 
fiberboard liners were ineffective in the prevention of loss in weight 
of the packed fruit. 
The appearance and dessert quality of Golden Delicious apples, 
especially after prolonged cold storage, were greatly enhanced by 
packaging in certain sealed films. This fruit had a fresh look, a firm 
feel to hand pressure, and u delicate, aromatic flavor characteristic of 
the variety when sampled early in its storage life. 
Certain precautions must be taken when pears and apples are packed 
in sealed film liners. Every effort should be made to use fruit free 
from surface abrasion and potential fungus infection; it should be . 
washed with an effective fungicide and handled carefully to minimize 
bruising, as moisture conditions within the sealed package are con- 
ducive to the development of decay. Care should be exercised in 
handling and closing the film box liner. 
Commercial use of the sealed film liner for packing pears and 
Golden Delicious apples has been substantial. Trade acceptance of 
the packaged fruit has been excellent. 
INTRODUCTION 
All commercial varieties of fall and winter pears grown in the 
Pacific Northwest lose their capacity to ripen normally after rather 
definite periods of storage at 31° F. (2).* This onset of loss of normal 
ripening is dependent upon the storage temperature and the maturity 
of the fruit at harvest. All varieties of pears also lose moisture dur- 
ing extended storage and at relative humidities lower than 90 percent 
eventually shrivel. The fresh appearance of the fruit is thereby 
impaired. Methods of packaging pears to extend their storage life 
and to preserve their appearance and dessert quality are needed to 
successfully market an increasing tonnage of this fruit. 
The Golden Delicious is a variety of apple with skin character- 
istics that permit relatively large moisture losses and visible shrivel, 
even during prolonged cold stor: age at a relative humidity as high as 
85 percent. The variety bruises easily, and small surface injuries 
darken readily and detract greatly from the appearance of the fruit. 
Notwithstanding these characteristics, the variety possesses an excel- 
lent dessert quality, a long storage ‘life, and freedom from most 
physiological storage disorders. New plantings of this variety in 
Washington (8) during recent years have been 4 to 8 times greater 
than needed to maintain present tree numbers. An expanding - future 
production of Golden Delicious apples is therefore indicated. 
An increasingly larger tonnage of this variety in Washington now 
receives specialized handling during picking, washing, g1 rading, and 
packing. Many of the most desirable sizes of fruit are packed in 
wooden boxes or fiberboard cartons with cupped or cell-type fiberboard 
separators for the individual apples (figs. 1, 2, 3, 4). Bruising is 
thereby minimized, but moisture loss and visible shrivel in the fruit 
during late storage are still very apparent. 
This publication presents information developed during the last 
five years on the packing of pears and apples in various kinds of sealed 
“Italic numbers in parentheses refer to Literature Cited, p. 28. 
2 
