1905.] The Rapid Decay of Ripe Fruit. 



305 



The rotting or fermentation of ripe fruit was proved by Pasteur 

 to be due to the presence of living organisms — fungi and bacteria 

 on the surface. 



A Method of From this starting-point it was inferred 



Rapld^ecay of t ^ iat ^ these organisms could be destroyed 

 Ripe Fruit. the period during which such fruit could be 

 kept in a perfect condition could be con- 

 siderably prolonged ; and a series of experiments conducted in 

 the Jodrell Laboratory at Kew proved the inference to be correct. 



The fruits experimented upon were ripe cherries, goose- 

 berries, grapes, pears and strawberries. The fruit was not 

 selected but purchased from shops, or in some instances from 

 vendors in the street. 



The following table shows the number of days during which 

 the fruit, after special treatment, remained perfectly sound, after 

 a similar quantity of untreated fruit from the same lot had 

 become mouldy or decayed : — 



Cherries ... ... ... ... ... 7 days. 



Gooseberries ... ... ... ... ... 7 ,, 



Grapes .„ ... ... ... ... 4 



Pears ... ... ... ... ... 10 



Strawberries ... ... ... ... ... 4 



The above table applies in all cases to fruit that was perfectly 

 ripe when experimented upon, but it was ascertained that if 

 fruit is treated before it is quite ripe it is equally well preserved, 

 and the normal course of ripening and the flavour are not in 

 any way interfered with, as is the case where fruit is kept for 

 some time in a refrigerator. 



This fact suggests that the method of fruit preservation 

 described here, although valuable in extending the duration 

 •of home-grown fruit in good condition, will eventually prove 

 to be of the greatest importance in enabling our markets to 

 be stocked with many delicious kinds of tropical fruit, which 

 under present conditions never reach us. A careful examina- 

 tion of ripe fruit from the West Indies, intended for exhibition 

 at the Crystal Palace in connection with the Colonial Produce 

 Exhibition, showed very clearly that the decay of such fruit as 

 mangos during the voyage, was due entirely to mouldiness and 

 fermentation set up by fungi and bacteria that were present on 

 the surface of the fruit before shipment, and not to an inherent 



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