Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): To improve postharvest quality of Florida grown fruits and vegetables and find ways to extend shelf-life using various preharvest and postharvest treatments. Special regards will be given to developing natural or organic protocols which do not leave residues on commodities. Approach (from AD-416): Initially we will be screening experimental compounds in the laboratory by in-vitro testing with Petri-dishes and pathogens of citrus and other Florida commodities to see if there is an indication of success with these compounds. This would involve using protocols already in place in addition to utilizing new methods for testing. The next step would be to test the experimental compounds on fruits/vegetables under controlled conditions in the laboratory and environmental chambers at Winter Haven. The final step would be running the compound through commercial picking and storage conditions. These conditions will be set in the environmental chambers at Winter Haven. Information from these studies will be published and made available to growers and packers (fresh fruit and vegetable industry). This research is related to inhouse project objective 3: Develop pre- and postharvest treatment protocols for reducing specific decay pathogens using sanitizers, antimicrobials, such as plant (including citrus) essential oils, with or without coatings and/or other surface treatments and storage atmospheres to minimize postharvest losses and maximize shelf life of the of citrus, tomato, berries and select tropicals for both intact and fresh-cut products; subobjective b) Postharvest treatments to prevent decay and transference of fruit surface microbes. The project was fully executed and ended within the first month of Fiscal Year 2011. Use of calcium chloride prevented decay of fresh produce.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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