Quality of two Florida blueberry cultivars after packaging and storage.
1993
Miller W.R. | McDonald R.E. | Crocker T.E.
Blueberry cultivars Sharpblue (mainly Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and Climax (V. ashei L.) were hand-harvested on three occasions and manually packaged into 0.275-liter fiber-pulp cups or automatically packaged in vented polystyrene cups. Berries were evaluated after 1, 2, or 3 weeks of storage at 1 degrees C and after 2 additional days of storage at 16 degrees C, a time frame that simulated a merchandising period. Weight loss of fruit packaged in polystyrene cups was < 1% during 3 weeks of storage at 1 degree C, whereas weight loss of berries packaged in fiber-pulp cups was approximately 5.0% after similar storage. 'Sharpblue' berries were softer at harvest and after each storage duration than 'Climax' berries. Decay increased to approximately 7% for 'Climax' and 28% for 'Sharpblue' after 3 weeks of storage at 1 degree C. Package type did not affect decay incidence after 3 weeks of storage; but after 2 additional days at 16 degrees C, decay incidence was slightly higher for berries packaged in polystyrene compared with those packaged in fiber-pulp cups. 'Sharpblue' should be packaged only in fiber-pulp cups and marketed quickly after harvest to avoid excessive decay.
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