Physiological and Anatomical Studies of surface Pitting of Sweet Cherry Fruit in Relation to Bruising, Chemical Treatments and Storage Conditions

Abstract

Summary Mechanical injury of sweet cherry fruit causes the disorder ‘surface pitting’, in which skin depressions overlie necrotic lesions in the fleshy mesocarp. Storage at temperatures near 0°C or the transfer of fruit from cool storage to room temperature worsened the disorder. Pretreating the fruit before cool storage with antitranspirant or surface-active agents exacerbated the disorder, but these effects were mitigated by the addition of CaCl₂. Low O₂, high CO₂ and high humidity atmospheres did not affect the disorder, and low pressure storage was beneficial.