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Postharvest Treatment of ‘Empire’ Apples Influences Quality of Fresh-Cut Slices

One of the major cultivars used for apple slices is ‘Empire’. Several practices can affect whole fruit quality during long-term storage and consequently influence slice quality.‘Empire’ apples sprayed with and without ReTain (label rate) were harvested twice (1 week apart) from a mature commercial orchard. Fruit were of optimum maturity for long-term storage. Half of the apples from each treatment were drenched with diphenylamine (DPA, ~900 ppm) and Mertect (label rate). All fruit were cooled overnight to 3^oC and then half of the apples from each treatment combination were treated with SmartFresh (1-MCP, 1 ppm for 24 hours). Apples were held in controlled atmosphere (CA) storage (2.5% O₂ + 2% CO₂) at 0.5 and 3^oC.

After CA storage, ‘Empire’ fruit remained in ambient air at 0.5 or 3^oC for 2 or 7 days. Ten marketable apples per treatment combination were then removed from cold storage, rinsed in tap water, and sliced within 1 hour. After cutting, the slices were rinsed in running tap water, dipped in Nature Seal (label rate for 2 min), and then rinsed again in tap water, drained of excess water, and sealed in PD-900 bags (Cyrovac). Bagged slices from apples held in CA storage for 6 or 9 months were held at 3^oC for 30 or 21 days, respectively. Slices were then assessed for browning and decay. After 6 months of storage, apple slices made from the second harvest had substantially more decay than those from the first harvest. Apples treated with 1-MCP also had slightly more slice decay.

ReTain and DPA had no significant effects on slice browning. After 9 months of storage, apples from the second harvest could not be used for slices because of internal/flesh browning. At this time, slices from 1-MCP-treated fruit from the first harvest had much less browning than those not treated. Similarly, slices made from DPA-treated apples exhibited less decay and better quality ratings. Consistently throughout the study, slices from apples held for 7 days in ambient air prior to slicing had less browning than those held for 2 days. Hence, a few days of holding apples in refrigerated ambient air after CA storage improves slice quality.

Photo 1: ‘Empire’ apples at the time of slicing.

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