apm4, 1923 Internal Browning of the Yellow Newtown Apple 
177 
GAS ABSORBENTS AS AGENCIES IN THE PREVENTION OF INTERNAL BROWNING 
Several sublots of the 1919 and 1920 crops of apples, picked October 
18, were stored at o^^C. in oil wrappers which were knovm to be good 
absorbents of gases. For this purpose commercial 10 by 10 inch apple 
wrappers were saturated with the given wax or oil. The number of 
treatments included and the results of these tests are given in Table VIII. 
Table VIII .—Effect of gas absorbents upon the development of internal browning of 
apples stored at ° C. 
Condition of fruit at end of storage period. 
Treatment. 
Nor¬ 
mal. 
Season of 1919 - 20 . 
Trace. 
Slight. 
Moder¬ 
ate. 
Severe. 
Cocoa-butter wrap¬ 
per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
per. 
Olive-oil wrapper.. . 
Wesson-oil wrapper. 
Mazola-oil wrapper.. 
Vaseline wrapper.... 
Eard-tallow wrapper 
Paraffin wrapper.... 
Control, common 
wrapper. 
Control, no wrapper. 
Average for oil 
wrappers. 
Average for the 
controls. 
30 
40 
so 
50 
70 
48 
20 
45 
60 
50 
45 
25 
46 
25 
Per 
cent. 
20 
o 
o 
5 
5 
6 
25 
Per Per 
cent. cent. 
5 o 
20 
10 
Season of 1920 - 21 . 
Nor¬ 
mal. 
Trace. 
1 
Slight. 
Moder¬ 
ate. 
Severe. 
Per 
Per 
Per 
Per 
Per 
cent. 
cent. 
cent. 
cent. 
cent. 
50 
40 
10 
0 
0 
55 
45 
0 
0 
0 
45 
55 
0 
0 
0 
15 
75 
10 
0 
0 
5 
80 
15 
0 
0 
5 
85 
10 
0 
0 
5 
65 
20 
xa 
0 
34 
57 
7 
0 
0 
5 
75 
15 
5 
0 
These data indicate that the amount of browning can be reduced by 
employing agents which absorb essential oils or emanating gases. Since 
all the tests as well as the controls were stored in identical boxes and 
under as nearly as possible the same conditions in the storage rooms, the 
beneficial effect of the oil wrappers must lie in their ability to prevent 
the accumulation of injurious substances. There was a reduction of 
about 30 per cent in tie number of specimens showing browning in 
each case. 
At the time the fruit picked October i8, 1920, was stored, 10 portions 
of 33 specimens each of lot were placed in sealed containers with 
various wrappers as listed in the table. This was thought to be a more 
accurate method of determining the effectiveness with which certain 
absorbents control the disease. It would seem logical to assume that 
there was always a considerable supply of esters or other deleterious 
material in the storage room; hence the wrappers in the open boxes 
should absorb these as readily, if not more so, than the substances from 
the individual specimens which were wrapped, thereby dissipating their 
ability to function as active absorbents. In the sealed containers, 
however, the esters to be absorbed were more nearly confined to those 
produced by the inclosed fruit, and this should materially lengthen the 
period during which the oils in the wrappers would act as absorbing: 
agents. The results of these tests are given in Table IX. 
