Temperature Effects on Produce Degradation 623
may actually be normal aging of the tissue. Low temperature may also aggravate an
injury resulting from some other cause such as heat or mechanical damage.
20.4.1.3 Responses to Chilling Temperatures
Chilling injury has been the basis of a great deal of research in recent years, yet a
review of the literature still reveals no general consensus on the mechanisms leading
to this injury. What is known is that chilling leads to a variety of physiological and
FIGURE 20.13Failure to ripen and increased susceptibility to decay seen in the tomatoes
on the left is the result of chilling injury. (Photo courtesy of A.A. Kader, University of
California, Davis.)
FIGURE 20.14Sheet pitting is a symptom of chilling injury of pepper stored 1 week at 0°C
followed by 3 weeks at 20°C. (Photo courtesy of C.Y. Wang, Produce Quality and Safety
Lab, USDA, Washington, DC.)