PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PRECOOLING KIWIFRUIT

Precooling is a common practice during postharvest handling and storage of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa cv Hayward). In New Zealand, the need to precool kiwifruit is largely historic and related more to the use of refrigerated containers for transporting fruit to export markets than to the physiological response of the fruit.
Results from industry-based studies on the effect of precooling on fruit quality, indicate that precooled fruit are likely to be firmer than non precooled fruit but that the incidence of Botrytis stem end rots (SER), low temperature breakdown (LTB) and physiological pitting (PP) is likely to be higher in precooled fruit than non precooled fruit.
The establishment cost of a coolstore with cooling capability is approximately 40% less than the combination of a precooler and holding store.
It is concluded that it is preferable not to precool kiwifruit that is predisposed to SER, LTB and/or PP, and that it is more economic to construct a coolstore with cooling capability than to combine a precooler with a holding store.

III International Symposium on Kiwifruit

N. Lallu, D.J. Webb

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.444.106