(52) Postharvest Alleviation of Chilling Injury and Diseases of Cantaloupe Melons

Abstract

Chilling injury of cantaloupe melons (Cucumismelo, Cantalupensis group), although variable among cultivars, precludes the use of temperatures close to 0 °C for long term storage or transport. Diseases, either associated with chilling or independent from it, are usually the main factor terminating postharvest life of these melons. `Colima', a Western Shipper cultivar highly sensitive to chilling, was used to evaluate chilling and disease response to the following treatments: immersion in water at 60 °C for 1 minute (with or without 150 ppm chlorine), individual packaging (PVC, whole or perforated), exposure to air at 38 °C for 12 hours (with or without individual packaging), and control. After storage for 18 days at 0 °C and a simulated retail period of 3 days at 20 °C, there were significant differences among treatments: chilling was alleviated in heat-treated and especially in plastic-wrapped fruit, and the presence of diseases caused by pathogens such as Alternaria, Cladosporium, Fusarium, and Rhizopus was markedly reduced by heat treatments. Overall, visual quality was high and superior in fruit immersed in water at 60 °C with 150 ppm chlorine due to almost complete supression of diseases. Project financed by FONDECYT 1020882.