Modification of Apple Quality by High Temperature1

Abstract

High temperature (40°C) for 2 and 4 days lowered the acidity of 4 cultivars of apples ( Malus domestica Borkh.). The preheated fruit was firmer than the control during 2 to 4 weeks of holding at 21°. The treatment also accelerated the loss of chlorophyll from the fruit skin. The soluble solid content of the fruit was not affected. Apples after the heat treatment had a normal respiratory climacteric and normal ethylene production rates. Some feasibility of applying high temperature to improve apple quality seems to exist.