Progress 09/15/06 to 09/14/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Extensive, interdisciplinary studies were conducted to study postharvest technologies that could expand the production of several high-value, specialty crops by small, medium and large growers in Florida and throughout the Caribbean Basin. The crops selected for these studies represent those that can be grown intensively using hydroponical techniques under protected culture or under field culture (tropical fruits). Throughout this project research updates have been dissseminated to growers and extension agents in Florida via extension publications, face-to-face/telephone/email conversations and at grower meetings. Oral and poster presentations were made at state and national professional meetings for the greater scientific community. We are in the process of writing new refereed publications related to the results obtained in the final year of the no-cost extension of this study. Upon completion of the scientific articles, additional extension publications will be completed via the on-line EDIS publication system of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals 1) Principal Investigators. Sargent, S. A.; Project Director. Overall coordination of postharvest projects. Huber, D. J.; Co-PI. Oversight of studies related to 1-methycyclopropene. Bartz, J. A.; Oversight of disease control. Crane, J. H.; Oversight of tropical fruit production research. Cantliffe, D. J.; Project Director of Protected Agriculture production and research. 2) Additional researchers receiving salary: LonKan, E.E.; visiting scientist (Datil pepper). Alleoni, A.C.; visiting scientist (Baby squash). Brew, B.; doctoral student (Baby squashh) Godoy, A.C.; research associate (Baby squash). Warren, O.; M.S. student. Partner Organizations: South Florida Tropical Fruit Growers Assn.; tropical fruit grower/shippers; commercial restaurant owner. Collaborators and contacts: North Florida Research & Education Center - Live Oak; Tropical Research & Education Center, Homestead; Baldwin, E. and Plotto, A., USDA/ARS Subtropical Products Laboratory, Winterhaven; Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits Research Center, Cruz das Almas, Brazil. Training: Pereira, M.E.; doctoral student (Avocado); Warren, O.; M.S. student (Carambola); Florida Extension Agents; tropical fruit growers, greenhouse growers. TARGET AUDIENCES: Small, medium and large agribusiness sectors (new options for business ventures; new value-added products), county-level social services (via maintenance of employment in agriculture sector). Populations served include hispanic, Caribbean (Francophone and Anglophone countries); African-Americans; Asian Americans and white. Many of these populations are socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged and depend upon the a viable agriculture sector for subsistance. Efforts: Delivery of results via in-services county extension agents (train-the-trainer), field days, inclusion of findings in graduate-level courses, and via printed and on-line technical bulletins. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The following summary relates the primary findings of these studies. Datil hot pepper (Capsicum chinense) is grown as a backyard crop in northeast Florida. Postharvest studies of hydroponically grown fruit determined that growers should harvest at yellow or orange stage color for most pungency (hotter than habanero pepper) and highest sweetness and aroma volatiles. Fruits store well at 7C/90% RH for up to 3 weeks. Carambola (star) fruit (Averrhoa carambola L.) are currently harvested early to withstand shipping. These studies showed that this fruit could be harvested later (1/2 yellow color stage) and would be much sweeter. Application of the approved 1-methylcyclopene (1-MCP) could extend postharvest life sufficiently to permit harvest at the sweeter stage. Mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) fruit is highly appreciated in the Caribbean region; however, marketable life is significantly limited by abrupt softening during postharvest handling. Fruit harvested prior to onset of ripening then treated with carnauba wax coating maintained good visual appearance and had the lowest water loss during storage at 20C. However, wax treatment accelerated fruit softening, reducing marketable life by 3 days compared with unwaxed (control) fruit. 1-MCP alone or in combination with wax coating extended the marketable life by 1 day over untreated fruit. 1-MCP has the potential to delay ripening of mamey sapote fruit and extend marketable life beyond 14 days at temperatures less than 20C with adequate decay control. A PC-controlled, fiber-optic oxygen meter used to determine blood oxygen was used to measure internal oxygen partial pressure of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit. Internal oxygen was tracked during exposure of whole tomato fruit to hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions via blockage of gas exchange at the stem end or by controlled atmosphere storage (4% O2 and 5% CO2). The methodology developed for fresh tomato shows promise for use with other soft fruits as affected by such external conditions as coatings, and modified or controlled atmosphere storage. West Indian and Guatemalan avocado hybrids grown in Florida and the Caribbean Basin ripen very quickly. Postharvest application of gaseous 1-MCP (225 parts per billion) delayed ripening up to 16 days at 20C. Baby summer squash fruit are harvested within a few days of pollination, hence they are very perishable. Storage studies showed emulsion coating maintained firmness during storage at 10C without chilling injury. Squash flowers sell for more than $0.60 per blossom, however they are very perishable. Flowers of yellow summer squash (Cucurbita pepo; crook-necked type) were stored in non-vented polystyrene clamshells at 2, 5, 7, 10 or 12C for two weeks. Male blossoms harvested just prior to opening retained better quality than female blossoms. Flowers harvested after opening can only be stored for a maximum of 3 days after harvest; however, pre-opened male blossoms can be stored safely at 5C up to 10 days. Female flowers should have fruits detached for maximum shelf-life.
Publications
- Crane, J.H. and S.A. Sargent. 2008. Effect of Low temperature storage on mamey sapote(Pouteria sapota) fruit quality. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 120:24-25. 2007 Annual Meeting. Lon Kan, E.E., S.A. Sargent, A. Simonne, N.L. Shaw D.J. Cantliffe. 2008. Changes in the postharvest quality of datil hot peppers as affected by storage temperature. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 120:246-250. 2007 Annual Meeting. Warren, Oren, Marcio E. Pereira, Adrian D. Berry, Steven A. Sargent, Horticultural Sciences Dept.. 2007. Harvesting Carambola at Different Ripeness Stages Affects Postharvest Quality. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 120:256-258. 2007 Annual Meeting. Warren, O., Sargent, S., Huber, D., Brecht, J.K., and Berry, A., 2008. Application of aqueous 1-methylcyclopropene to 'Arkin' carambola maintains fruit firmness. Hortscience 43:1087-1087.Sargent, S.A. 2008. Importance of the cold chain in the fresh-cut sector (in Portuguese). V National Meeting on Fresh-cut Processing of Fruits and Vegetables. Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, MG. Brazil. 8-11 April.
- Crane, J.H. and S.A. Sargent. 2007. Effect of Low temperature storage on mamey sapote(Pouteria sapota) fruit quality. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 120:24-25.
- Lon Kan, E.E., S.A. Sargent, A. Simonne, N.L. Shaw D.J. Cantliffe. 2007. Changes in the postharvest quality of datil hot peppers as affected by storage temperature. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 120:246-250.
- Lon Kan, Elena E., Steven A. Sargent, Amy Simonne, Daniel J. Cantliffe and Nicole L. Shaw. 2007. Quality Characteristics of Datil Hot Pepper Harvested at Different Stages of Maturation. Poster presentation at annual meeting of Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. Scottsdale, AZ. July. HortScience 42:928. (abstract)
- Brew, B.S., A.D. Berry, S.A. Sargent, N.L. Shaw and D.J. Cantliffe. 2006. Determination of Optimum Storage Conditions for Baby Summer Squah Fruit Cucubita pepo. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 119:343-346.
- Alleoni, A.A.C. A.E. Godoy, S.A. Sargent and D J. Huber. 2006. Electrolyte Leakage of Beit Alpha-type Cucumbers Pretreated with Liquid 1-MCP during Continuous Ethylene Exposure. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 119:347-349.
- Lon Kan, E.E., S.A. Sargent, D.J. Cantliffe, A.D. Berry and N.L. Shaw. 2008. Total Carotenoids and Capsaicinoids Contents of Datil Hot Pepper as Affected by Harvest Maturity and Storage Temperature. Poster presentation at annual meeting of Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. Orlando FL. July. HortScience 43:1089. (abstract)
- Warren, O., Sargent, S., Huber, D., Brecht, J.K., and Berry, A., 2008. Application of aqueous 1-methylcyclopropene to 'Arkin' carambola maintains fruit firmness. Hortscience 43:1087. (abstract)
- Sargent, S.A. 2008. Importance of the cold chain in the fresh-cut sector (in Portuguese). V National Meeting on Fresh-cut Processing of Fruits and Vegetables. Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Berry, A.D. and S.A. Sargent. 2008. The Potential Use of a Microsensor to Measure Endogenous Oxygen Content in Fresh Fruit. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. (in press)
- Berry, A.D. and S.A. Sargent. 2009. Real-time microsensor measurement of internal oxygen partial pressure in tomato fruit under hypoxic conditions. Postharvest Biol. & Technol. (in press)
- Warren, O., M.E. Pereira, A.D. Berry, S.A. Sargent. 2007. Harvesting Carambola at Different Ripeness Stages Affects Postharvest Quality. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 120:256-258.
- Pereira, M.E.C., S.A. Sargent, J.H. Crane and D.J. Huber. 2008. Postharvest applications of aqueous and gaseous 1-methylcyclopropene delay ripening in cv. Monroe avocado. HortScience 43:1088. (abstract)
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Progress 09/15/06 to 09/15/07
Outputs
The beginning of this project year, Year 3, will focus on carambola, mamey sapote and specialty vegetables. We are completing the first test with carambola, which involved comparison of carambola (cv. Arkin) harvested at three ripeness stages (colorbreak, 1/2 and 3/4 yellow). Half of the fruits were dipped in carnauba-based wax. Fruit (n=4) were stored in plastic containers (n=3) at 5C for 2 wk, then transferred to 20C until ripe, or stored continuously at 20C until ripe. Parameters such as total sugars, soluble solids content, total titratable acidity, pH, weight loss, postharvest life, disorders and decay were noted during ripening. Respiration and ethylene evolution were measured at 20C. Studies with mamey sapote will begin in March 2007, the next crop. A second test was started with datil pepper (Capsicum sinense Jacques), a hot pepper locally grown in the St. Augustine, Florida area. This crop is extremely pungent and has potential for increased commercialization
in salsas, and sauces due to its high capsiacin content. Fruit grown under protected culture were harvested at full yellow stage, stored in vented plastic, hinged containers (30 fruit/container) at 5 and 8C for 2 weeks then transfereed to 20C, or stored continuously at 20C until over-ripe (when shrivelled and/or orange-yellow colored). Fruit was monitored for development of chilling injury, decay, weight loss; quality assessments will include determination of carotenoids, capsiacin content, soluble solids content, total titratable acidity, pH. Respiration and ethylene evolution were measured at all temperatures.
Impacts
Postharvest behavior of datil pepper is scarce. Development of a database related to optimal storage and handling conditions will allow growers to reach new markets with high-quality product. This has the potential to generate new jobs by furnishing a package for handling this new crop.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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