Articles
FUNGAL CONTAMINATION OF FRUIT IN SWEET CHERRY GRADING LINES
Article number
1020_16
Pages
127 – 130
Language
English
Abstract
Sweet cherry fruit in Norway are graded and packed with chlorinated water according to drinking water standards (max. 2 ppm free chlorine after fruit contact) as a transport medium in parts of the grading lines.
A possibility of fruit contamination from fungal pathogens exists in such water. Lapins fruit from 10 commercial orchards at each of three packinghouses were put through a simulated sale period (10 days at 2°C and 2-3 days at 20°C) either directly or after being transported on a grading line in 2007. In 2008, fruit were sampled at different times of the day (early, mid and late) and compared with the control.
Fruit samples containing 5 x 100 fruits were weighed at time of sampling, after 10 days at 2°C (in a Lifespan bag) and after 2-3 days at 20°C. The number of fruit decayed with fungal pathogens were counted and diagnosed.
Total fruit decay in a mean of 3 packing houses x 10 orchards was 14% before packing and 28% after packing in 2007. Brown rot (caused by Monilinia laxa) incidence decreased from 1.1% to 0.3% and Mucor rot (caused primarily by Mucor piriformis) incidence increased from 11% to 26%. In 2008, there were no significant differences between unpacked and packed fruits, or between the different packing hours, on the different fungal diseases or incidence of total fruit decay.
These preliminary results indicate that there might be a risk of contamination in seasons with high levels of fruit decay (such as 2007), but in normal seasons a slight chlorination of water is satisfactory to minimize the risk to an acceptable level.
A possibility of fruit contamination from fungal pathogens exists in such water. Lapins fruit from 10 commercial orchards at each of three packinghouses were put through a simulated sale period (10 days at 2°C and 2-3 days at 20°C) either directly or after being transported on a grading line in 2007. In 2008, fruit were sampled at different times of the day (early, mid and late) and compared with the control.
Fruit samples containing 5 x 100 fruits were weighed at time of sampling, after 10 days at 2°C (in a Lifespan bag) and after 2-3 days at 20°C. The number of fruit decayed with fungal pathogens were counted and diagnosed.
Total fruit decay in a mean of 3 packing houses x 10 orchards was 14% before packing and 28% after packing in 2007. Brown rot (caused by Monilinia laxa) incidence decreased from 1.1% to 0.3% and Mucor rot (caused primarily by Mucor piriformis) incidence increased from 11% to 26%. In 2008, there were no significant differences between unpacked and packed fruits, or between the different packing hours, on the different fungal diseases or incidence of total fruit decay.
These preliminary results indicate that there might be a risk of contamination in seasons with high levels of fruit decay (such as 2007), but in normal seasons a slight chlorination of water is satisfactory to minimize the risk to an acceptable level.
Publication
Authors
J. Børve
Keywords
postharvest
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