SIMULATING CALCIUM DIP EFFECT ON POST HARVEST QUALITY OF PEACHES

During postharvest operations such as sorting, packaging, and transporting, peaches are subjected to unintentional bruising and compressive forces, which adversely affect their shelf life.
Fruits of ‘Harvester’ and ‘Juneprince’ cultivars were dipped in a 1% calcium chloride solution for 30 min just after harvest and its effect on postharvest quality parameters of firmness and mass were investigated.
The control peaches were not dipped.
Peaches were stored at 0, 4, 10, and 22°C at RH of 95 + 1% for three weeks.
Mass and firmness of the stored peaches were measured at regular time intervals.
Firmness was measured using non-destructive compressive test using an Instron® universal testing machine.
A replication was carried out and models were developed from the slopes of firmness and mass values plotted against time for the four temperatures.
The models were validated using another harvest.
The models were further converted into a user-friendly computer simulation for predicting peach quality during distribution.
The simulation predicts the quality parameters at each link of a typical supply chain.
The temperature profile, firmness, and percent mass for a system with or without the calcium dip are simulated and plotted upon data entry into the program.
The simulation enables farmers as well as owners of various links of the supply chain to see graphically the effects of their actions of dipping in calcium and storing at various time-temperature combinations.
The producers can quantify the benefit of lowering temperatures during cooling delays and of dipping in calcium.
The simulation can act as a decision support system to enable the producers to take decisions regarding calcium dip and storage conditions in conjunction with other economic considerations.

V International Postharvest Symposium

D. Aggarwal, S.E. Prussia, W. Florkowski, G. Lysiak

computer, simulation model, time, temperature

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.682.119