Reduction of Bitter Pit of Apples with Phorone
in HortScienceAbstract
Phorone reduced bitter pit of apples during 4 seasons. The degree of control varied between cultivars and seasons. The study was carried out in 3 Australian states and New Zealand and involved ‘Cox's Orange Pippin’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Granny Smith’, and ‘Twenty Ounce’. The apples were held in sealed or unsealed polyethylene bags, and the chemical was placed in small containers among the fruit or was injected into the core. Phorone was as effective in reducing bitter pit as a postharvest dip in 4% (w/w) calcium chloride, but it sometimes induced an off flavor. Chemical names used: 2,6-dimethyl-2-5-heptadien-4-one (phorone).
Contributor Notes
Received for publication 19 Mar. 1985. The study was supported in part by the Australian Apple and Pear Corporation and the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board. The assistance of the staff of the Bitter Pit Laboratory Nelson, N.Z., is acknowledged. The cost of publishing this paper was defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. Under postal regulations, this paper therefore must be hereby marked advertisement solely to indicate this fact.
