Articles
TRANSIT CONDITIONS AND QUALITY CHANGES OF GREEK APRICOTS SHIPPED BY INTERFRIGO WAGONS TO GERMANY
Article number
488_97
Pages
601 – 608
Language
Abstract
Apricots cv.
Bebecou were harvested in Southern Greece, transported by truck to Northern Greece, packed, precooled and loaded into Interfrigo wagons, which were then transported to Munich where the fruit was distributed to wholesalers.
Transportation time was 3.5 days from production area to packing, precooling and loading, 2 days for transportation to Munich and 2.5 days for distribution to wholesalers during which fruit was still in the wagons.
Temperature, relative humidity and ethylene concentration were measured periodically.
Temperature during transportation was higher than optimum reaching 7°C in some of the loads.
Relative humidity was kept high close to optimum, while ethylene concentration increased above 0.3ppm and CO2 above 4.3% and up to 11% during transportation.
The total fruit weight losses were more than 5%, and occurred mainly during the truck transportation to the packinghouse.
There was large variability in flesh firmness between individual fruit, but generally was good at harvest and above 22N firmness after arrival in Munich.
At that time, in wagons where the temperature was constantly around 7°C, 5 – 10% of the fruit were very soft and unsalable and, in all loads, an additional 5 – 15% of the fruit were immature and of low quality.
Soluble solids content and soluble solids content to titratable acidity ratio were high at harvest and after distribution to Munich were still high for the large fruits but unacceptably low for the small fruits of some loads.
Harvesting at proper maturity, precise sorting, precooling as soon as possible and transportation at temperatures close to optimum were recommended.
Bebecou were harvested in Southern Greece, transported by truck to Northern Greece, packed, precooled and loaded into Interfrigo wagons, which were then transported to Munich where the fruit was distributed to wholesalers.
Transportation time was 3.5 days from production area to packing, precooling and loading, 2 days for transportation to Munich and 2.5 days for distribution to wholesalers during which fruit was still in the wagons.
Temperature, relative humidity and ethylene concentration were measured periodically.
Temperature during transportation was higher than optimum reaching 7°C in some of the loads.
Relative humidity was kept high close to optimum, while ethylene concentration increased above 0.3ppm and CO2 above 4.3% and up to 11% during transportation.
The total fruit weight losses were more than 5%, and occurred mainly during the truck transportation to the packinghouse.
There was large variability in flesh firmness between individual fruit, but generally was good at harvest and above 22N firmness after arrival in Munich.
At that time, in wagons where the temperature was constantly around 7°C, 5 – 10% of the fruit were very soft and unsalable and, in all loads, an additional 5 – 15% of the fruit were immature and of low quality.
Soluble solids content and soluble solids content to titratable acidity ratio were high at harvest and after distribution to Munich were still high for the large fruits but unacceptably low for the small fruits of some loads.
Harvesting at proper maturity, precise sorting, precooling as soon as possible and transportation at temperatures close to optimum were recommended.
Publication
Authors
G.D. Nanos, E.M. Sfakiotakis, F. Ververidis, G. Stavroulakis
Keywords
Transportation, Prunus armeniaca, ethylene, carbon dioxide
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