New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Effect of mechanical and water-based postharvest treatments on storability of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa)

Christopher J. Clark
Robert B. Jordan

Bioengineering
The Horticulture and Food Research
 Institute of New Zealand Ltd
Private Bag 3123, Hamilton
New Zealand
email: cclark@hortresearch.co.nz

Xenia Meier
Michael A. Manning

Bioprotection
The Horticulture and Food Research
 Institute of New Zealand Ltd
Mt Albert Research Centre
Private Bag 92 169, Auckland
New Zealand

Abstract  A trial (15 orchards; n = 37500 fruit) was conducted to determine the impact of postharvest wetting and drying procedures on the subsequent storage characteristics at 0°C of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). Treatments were a control (commercial practice before storage), wetting in water or MgSO₄ solution, and passive (drip-drying) or active (brush rollers and fan) drying before curing. Cumulative fruit loss in the Control after 20 weeks of storage was 2.2%. This increased by 71% with dry brushing, with wetting having negligible additional impact. Dipping fruit in MgSO₄ solution had no adverse consequence on total losses beyond use of water alone. There was no difference in overall fruit losses between passive and active drying processes, or between treatments containing wet and dry fruit where equivalent mechanical procedures were imposed. Physiological pitting (0.4%) was the only individual quality disorder where losses increased (to 1-1.2%) when fruit were wetted.

Keywords  Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa; pitting; postharvest disorders; storage; wet fruit

H03022 Received 28 February 2003; accepted 6 June 2003; published 8 August 2003
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2003, Vol. 31: 247-254
0014-0671/03/3103-0247 $7.00 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2003

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