EXPERIMENTS OF 1910. 23 



INJURY TO THE FRUIT BY OVERPROCESSING. 



Experiment 14- — In this instance a study was made of the injury to 

 the fruit by overprocessing. Two varieties, Triumph and Zengi, were 

 kept in carbon dioxid in desiccators for 3, 6, 9, 12, 14, 17, 20, and 23 

 days. A desiccator of fruit was opened at each of these intervals. 

 The specimens withdrawn were wrapped and stored at room tempera- 

 ture beside the respective check lots. Twenty-three to 28 fruits 

 of Triumph and 20 fruits of Zengi were kept in each desiccator and in 

 each check lot. Triumph softened gradually while in the desiccators. 

 After 17 and 20 days, 38 and 57 per cent, respectively, had softened. 

 Zengi remained much firmer. Five and 15 per cent had softened 

 after the same two intervals. After removal, all of the processed 

 fruits softened more rapidly than their respective controls but the 

 rate of softening after removal was not distinctly changed by over- 

 processing. 



The interesting fact was brought out that the abnormality men- 

 tioned on pages 18 and 19, developing after or during softening and 

 consisting of the development of a brown color and a disagreeable 

 "cooked" flavor, occurred much more often in the case of persim- 

 mons which were kept in carbon dioxid for prolonged intervals than 

 with fruits processed for three days or unprocessed. 1 Frozen per- 

 simmons developed a somewhat similar appearance on keeping at 

 room temperature after thawing and it is probable that physiological 

 death is indicated; in other words, that the normal life processes 

 failed to resume action upon the restoration of air, when it had been 

 withheld for more than a brief period. In no case, however, did the 

 abnormality occur until after the fruits had begun to soften. In the 

 case of Triumph, none of the softened fruits of the check lot showed 

 the abnormality. One of the fruits processed for three days became 

 abnormal after softening, the remainder of the softened fruits remain- 

 ing normal. Fifty-seven per cent of the lot processed for six days 

 became abnormal after softening. All of the fruits in the lots pro- 

 cessed for still longer periods became abnormal on softening. 



With the variety Zengi, while the check lot and the fruit processed 

 for three days remained normal, 25, 50, and 70 per cent of the lots 

 withdrawn after 6, 9, and 12 days, respectively, became abnormal 

 on softening. 



EFFECT OF PREVIOUS KEEPING IN COLD STORAGE ON PROCESSING IN 



CARBON DIOXID. 



Experiment 15. — In this experiment Triumph, Tsuru, and Zengi per- 

 simmons kept in cold storage at about 36° F., from November 9 to 

 December 6, an interval of 27 days, were withdrawn and placed in 



ir rhis is probably the same phenomenon as that described by Mr. Watrous (see p. 6) as occurring in 

 processing by the Japanese method when sake adulterated by alcohol, or alcohol itself, is used. 



