APPLE

Storage

Postharvest Storage
 Van Amerongen | APPLE

1 Pre harvest conditions and harvesting

1.1 Growing conditions

1.2 Traditional orchards are slowly disappearing and are being replaced by much smaller trees
which are planted several thousand per hectare.
The trees are usually on a weak growing stem
(causes weak growth of the tree and early fertility)
while the cultivation is preferably done on heavier
soils.

Much is ennobled to the apple, resulting in a large

number of varieties. The apple is a very important
fruit species with a world production of about 69
million tonnes in 2010. China has the largest
production, with a share of over 40%.

2 Climate & weather

Apples are grown mainly in the temperate zones of the earth. The trees lose their leaves after harvest
and go into hibernation, where the trees are well protected against very low temperatures. However,
once the trees are in bloom, frost can completely destroy the production of the season. Modern
orchards are also equipped with a sprinkler system covering the flower so it can survive during frost.
Harvest may be around 30 to 40 tons per hectare. In the Netherlands, large shifts in the varieties have
been seen. Around 1980, Golden Delicious, Schone van Boskoop and Cox were the dominant
varieties, after 2000 these were replaced by Elstar and Jonagold.

3 Harvesting time and methode

Harvesting time
The time of harvest is critical for the future of the apples. If one wants long term storage, then the
apple should be harvested shortly before maturing has started. If storage is not the intention, then it is
no objection if the maturation has already started on the tree. If apples are harvested too early, it has
consequences for the quality: the fruits are small, hard green with a little red blush and they are
susceptible to storage disorders as Scald and lenticel spot. If apples are harvested too late, there may
be mealiness, and the fruits are soft and susceptible to degradation. Furthermore, the storage options
are limited.

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Maturation is characterized by an increase in respiratory activity and ethylene production

(climaterium), while the firmness decreases, the green color shifts to yellow, the starch is degraded
into sugars, the acid content decreases and aroma substances are formed. These changes are a
measurement for the determination of the ripeness of the fruit. For the storage, it is crucial that apples
are harvested at the right moment.

The maturity can be determined in the following ways;

The time from full bloom to harvest

This period is fairly constant by variety, especially when temperature measurements
are involved. For the implementation will be needed: calendar and thermometers, and
special qualifications are necessary for the determination of the time of "full bloom."

Size
If an apple grows, so does the size. The size is determined by size strips (calipers).
This method is not a reliable parameter for maturity.

Color
This method is based on the green (chlorophyll) and yellow (carotenes) dyes in the
skin of the apple. The measurement is done with (type-dependent) color charts or
instruments, producing a flash of light and the reflected light is analyzed from the peel
of the apple.

Firmness
During ripening the fruit becomes softer
as enzymes dissolve the middle lamella
of the room walls. Firmness is an
important parameter, which is determined
with a penetrometer.

Refractometer value
The firmness varies with the season, between

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orchards and even between the different sides of a tree.

The water-soluble organic components of the fruit can be measured with a
refractometer. The measurement represents primarily sugars, which is an indicator for
the development of the fruit.

Starch Values
The determination value of the starch is carried out to smear with a KI (Potassium
Iodine) solution, that colors the starch black. As the density is less, more starch has
been made. Iodine solution can be made by dissolving 10 grams of iodine crystals
along with 25 grams of potassium iodide in 1 liter of water. The result can be
compared with a species-dependent reference map.

Color of the seeds

Seeds are white in unripe fruits and fade to brown during ripening. The setting of this
parameter should be done visually.

Often, a combination of some of the parameters is used, for example with the aid of
the Streif index. Herein, the optimal harvesting point of time is determined by
measurements of firmness, refractive and starch value according to the formula:

Maturity = firmness / refraction x starch value

If no combination can be applied, the preferred method is the starch value.

Harvesting method
The harvest of apples for the fresh market is performed manually. The apples are gripped with open
hand to the nose side - and with a slight lateral finger pressure the apple falls in the hand. The fruits
are placed in a basket, bag or bucket, and then in large crates, which are also used for the storage.
Tools for harvesting e.g. 'trains' consisting of a series of stacked crates on a small platform on wheels
and with a tractor. It is very important to carefully instruct the staff, because every minor damage will
be visible later by browning of the damaged area (bruising).

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A relatively new development for the harvest are called 'pick tires’. These are ongoing ties between
the trees where the fruits are harvested and placed into a crate for transport.

4 Postharvest storage, packing and sorting

4.1 Pre-cooling

Pre-cooling means that the harvested product is cooled to the optimum storage temperature after
harvest, and in a short time, as soon as possible This method is not always necessary for apples, eg
for apples grown in temperate zones. Furthermore, it causes extra handling before they are stored in a
final storage room. Usually, the harvested fruits are placed directly in the storage rooms and gradually
brought to the desired temperature. Here, the cold store is filled in a few days. The design of the
cooling system is calculated in this rule.

However, there are situations where pre-cooling is desired. In the first place, temperatures at which
the apples are harvested are so high, that the apples need to be precooled quickly. A second situation
concerns orchards, which are far away from the storage rooms. In this case, followed by precooling,
refrigerated transport is the best policy.

5 Storage

5.1 Temperature and Relative Humidity

Apples are mostly kept in normal cold stores and CA rooms. Cooling is started immediately after the
o
introduction of the fruit. Apples remain in good condition at temperatures between 0 and 5 C and an
RH of 90-95%. For further reduction of weight loss, there are different systems: water spraying at high
pressure or ultrasonic systems, bringing a fine mist into the room. However, minimizing moisture loss
for apples may lead to an acceleration of aging. It is therefore necessary that apples keep losing some
moisture during storage. A rule of thumb is 0.2% per month applied for apples. In practice, in the
storage, the moisture loss is often followed by measuring. The melt volume of the evaporators 0.2%
per month means 200 litres of water on an apple room of 100 tons.

Recording the loss of fluid can by connecting the drip trays of the evaporators via a tube outside the
room with a collection vessel. A more sophisticated device is fully automatic measurement of the water
from the evaporators.

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5.2 Gas composition

Apples respond very well to reduced oxygen levels and / or increased carbon dioxide content. When
the optimum temperature is reached in CA rooms, the oxygen levels start to be decreased. This used
to be done by closing the gas-tight room, and using the respiration of the fruit to lower the
concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide. With the aid of the O2-Scrubbers, oxygen can be
reduced to 4-5% within twenty-four hours, after which further reduction is made with the breathing of
the apples. The carbon dioxide can be injected. By making use of the respiration of apples, or by use
of pure CO2 scrubbers the CO2 content is then maintained at the desired level.

Measurement of carbon dioxide and oxygen is continuously taking place in room air samples. Control
of the gas composition is carried out by comparing it to the desired composition.

If the levels are different, then action is taken to maintain the gas composition at the optimum level:

- Inject nitrogen or air as the oxygen pressure has become respectively too high or too low.

- Turning the CO2 scrubber on or off as the carbon dioxide levels have become respectively too
high or too low.

Modern CA rooms have an inspection window, behind which samples of the stored product are stored.
At desired times, these samples are taken from the rooms and checked for quality.

Among others, the varieties Elstar, Jonagold and Golden Delicious have shown to handle the lowest
oxygen level, interactively controlled (by measurement of alcohol) in CA rooms. With this 'DCS' system
(Dynamic Control System), apples were found to have longer shelf life after storage. The system is
now also called DCA (Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere) and the oxygen level is often controlled by the
so-called Harvest Watch system. Although this system is used in several places in the storage
industry, there are some objections. Because Harvest Watch only tests the reaction of the skin and
then also to a very small sample.

Van Amerongen, therefore, works on the development of a new DCA method which is based on the
changes in the respiration. With this technique, it becomes possible to preserve fruit at the lowest
possible O2 concentration.

5.3 Storage disorders and decay

Some important illnesses in post-harvest apples are:

- Lenticel spot. Spraying lime in orchards can reduce the problem.

- Scald; a brown discoloration of the skin. An important risk factor is very early harvest.
ULO storage reduces the chance of Scald.

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- Low temperature decay: visible as a brown coloration of the flesh under the skin.
Some varieties have this problem at 0 to 5 ° C.

- Brown core, is a brown discoloration around the core. Causes of this problem
include: long-term storage, high carbon dioxide levels etc.

- Glassiness, translucent glassy spots in the flesh. This disorder can be due to the
calcium content of the fruit and the harvest time. Late harvest promotes glassiness, which can
also disappear during storage.

- Age decay: caused by long-term storage. Brown discoloration of the flesh, which can
shine through the skin. In extreme cases, the skin ruptures.

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- Carbon dioxide damage: caused by high carbon dioxide levels. This can cause external
and internal brown discoloration, spots on the skin and cavities in the flesh.

- Low oxygen damage: internal and external brown discolorations caused by low
oxygen levels for too long periods of time. There is then formed alcohol in the fruit tissue.
Recovery may occur (ie the taste decay caused by alcohol can disappear).

Many fungi may occur during storage to the apples. This concerns eg Monilia, Botrytis, Nectria,
Penicillium, Phytophthora and Alternaria. For more information on mold, please refer to "Post-Harvest
Diseases and Disorders of Fruits and Vegetables" by Anna L. Snowdon. More information about
(storage) disorders can be found in the books of Meheriuk et al or Lidster et al.

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5.4 Ethylene
Apples show a very low ethylene production as long as they are not yet mature. In that situation,
they are also very sensitive to ethylene, which may initiate the maturation. Once this is done,
the ethylene production goes up significantly. It should be borne in mind, that in a population of
apples there will always be some mature apples present, which then affect the still maturing
copies. Seems obvious that ethylene should be removed, even during CA storage. Two points
are of interest here. The first is that in certain cases the development of skin spots (in Elstar) in
an ethylene-rich atmosphere has been slower than in an ethylene-free atmosphere. Secondly,
ULO storage works strongly against the production of ethylene, while the ethylene sensitivity of
the apples is reduced highly. Furthermore, it should be taken into account that a certain degree
of heat is put in when using an ethylene scrubber (usually a catalytic combustor). Only under
suboptimal CA conditions (relatively high oxygen concentration) removing ethylene can be
useful. For optimum conditions, the advantage of ethylene exfoliating is marginal.

5.5 Packing

Apples are usually stored in stackable crates. These crates, which may contain about 350 kg of fruit,
are made of wood or of plastic. The plastic has some advantages over wood:

- it doesn’t absorb water (from the fruit)

- It is not a breeding ground for fungi.

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