Fruit and Vegetable Quality

CHAPTER 4

Effects on the Quality of Stored Apple Fruit

DAVID S. JOHNSON

MARTIN S. RIDOUT

MUCH of this chapter is concerned with apple storage quality since this
is our predominant area of interest. In addition, our experience has been
limited mainly to apple cultivars grown in the temperate climate of the
U.K. However, the principles of interactions between pre-harvest grow-
ing conditions and the postharvest storage environment are similar for
other applications, and need to be understood, so that the challenge of
providing quality to the consumer can be met consistently.
Variation in the quality of different consignments of apples of the
same cultivar from commercial storage is of major concern to produc-
ers, marketing organizations and consumers. In the U.K., much of the
concern is related to consignments of fruit that have an insufficiently
green background color in those cultivars where this is considered to be
an indicator of freshness such as Cox’s Orange Pippin (Cox) and, more
importantly, to the likely texture, taste and flavor of the fruit. In the U.K.
and other parts of Northern Europe, there is a strong preference for firm,
juicy apples. Textural quality is generally more important than aromatic
properties. While consumers in different countries may have differing
preferences for the various quality attributes, there is a universal need
to produce fruit that is free from physiological disorders and patholog-
ical decay.
Methods for preserving fresh fruit and vegetables are well developed
and rely principally on reduction of the respiration rate of the product
by lowering the temperature and by restricting oxygen availability and/or

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