Abstract
Some treatments were examined to prolong freshness in green-mature Yuzu (Citrus junos Tanaka) fruits stored in polyethylene (a type of linear low density plastic) bags.
1. Degreening of fruits had already begun on the 35th day of storage at 5°C, but no chilling injury occurred over a period of 110 days. All injuries occurred on the 35th day of storage at 0°C. There was not a great difference between a 20μm and a 30μm thick film in the degreening index and the percent of injury.
2. The thickness of polyethylene film was 30μm in the case of storage at 2°C. The storage with a freshening agent prolonged the period for reaching 100% chilling injury for 1 to 3 months longer than that without it. The period without injury lasted at least 6 months when the fruits were stored with a freshening agent after they had been preliminarily dipped in hot water at 50°C for 2 to 5min. These storage conditions did not affect the degreening of fruits, since there was no significant difference between initial values and those of 6-months later for the color indexes (a and b) based on the L-a-b system. The fruits pretreated with water at 30°, 40°and 20°C (as a control), however, suffered chilling injury in 3 to 4 months, even though accompanied with a freshening agent.
