POSTHARVEST SENSORY EVALUATION OF CALCIUM TREATED PEACH FRUIT

Fruit harvested from ‘Cresthaven’ peach trees, previously treated with foliarly applied calcium were stored and evaluated for sensory qualities.
Other fruit measurements made were fruit weight, soluble solids, firmness, and size.
Foliar calcium treatments consisted of two forms of calcium: calcium chloride (1.7 kg/ha and 5.51 kg/ha) and Nutrical, a chelated trihydroxyglutarate containing 8% Ca (1.53 1/ha and 4.60 1/ha). Fruit were stored at 1 C at 90% RH for a period of up to 6 weeks.
Fruit were coded for sensory evaluation according to a balanced incomplete block design.
Sensory characteristics were identified as appearance, aroma, flavor, texture/consistency, and overall rating.
Successive digits were assigned to each rating with 1=excellent to 5=unacceptable.

All calcium treatments were more beneficial regarding fruit quality than the control for the first three weeks in storage.
By week 4, low calcium chloride treated peaches rated higher than the control, low calcium chloride treated peaches continued to rate better than low Nutrical through week 5 in storage.
By week 4, high Nutrical rated better than the control for flavor and overall rating.

This research shows that foliar applications of calcium to peach trees throughout the growing season can have a positive affect on peach fruit quality in storage.
Calcium treated fruit maintained their quality longer in storage than non-treated fruits.

II International Peach Symposium

M.G. Robson, J.A. Hopfinger, P. Eck

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1989.254.26