RIPENING, STORAGE, AND HANDLING OF APPLES 



39 



not result in appreciably 

 faster softening in fruit 

 held continuously from 

 time of picking at 32°, it 

 did result in more rapid 

 softening when the fruit 

 was held at higher tem- 

 peratures. 



The more rapid soften- 

 ing of late-picked fruit 

 when held at the higher 

 temperatures is apparently 

 due to two factors. Soft- 

 ening following picking in 

 late-picked fruit begins at 

 once, whereas in varieties 

 picked in the ordinary 

 commercial season there is 

 usually a period of three 

 or four days before appre- 

 ciable softening occurs. 

 Also, the rate of softening 

 appears to be slightly more 

 rapid in late-picked fruit. 



YELLOWING OF FRUIT IN 

 STORAGE AS AFFECTED 

 BY TEMPERATURE 



When apples are picked 

 the unblushed portions are 

 sometimes distinctly green 

 tinged. In some cases, par- 

 ticularly with varieties 

 such as Baldwin, Grimes 

 Golden, Stayman Winesap, 

 and numerous others, the 

 green color is sufficient to 

 render the fruit distinctly 

 less attractive than it would 

 be if it were entirely re- 

 placed with yellow. 



During the time the fruit 

 ripens and softens in stor- 

 age, the green color of the 

 unblushed portions tends 

 to become yellow. Al- 

 though exact records were 

 not made of this color 

 change in the fruit held at 

 the different storage tem- 

 peratures, the general ob- 

 servations may be summa- 

 rized as follows: 





