Abstract

A triploid watermelon cultivar, `Crimson Trio' and a seeded cultivar, `Mirage', were shrink-wrapped in four different films: Cryovac D940, Cryovac D955, and Magellan film with and without a blended biocide. Unwrapped fruits served as the control. Fruits were stored at either 1.5, 10 and 21°C for three weeks plus an additional week at 21°C to simulate retail marketing. Total soluble solids (TSS) and pulp color measurements were taken after harvest and at the end of the storage period while weight, disease incidence, chilling injury and visual quality rating were monitored at weekly intervals. Results showed that the seedless variety have better postharvest qualities in terms of storage life, TSS and chilling resistance than the seeded variety. Wrapped fruits had less weight loss, higher TSS and better rind color than the unwrapped fruits at the end of the storage period. However, all wrapping treatments, including the biocidal film increased disease incidence compared to unwrapped controls. Also, wrapping did not alleviate chilling injury, which was most severe in fruits stored at 1.5°C and then held at 21°C for one week.

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