Sodium chloride reduces damage to nectarines caused by hot water treatments

Abstract

Abstract The tolerance of six nectarine ( Prunus persica L. Batch var. (Ait.) Maxim.) cultivars to hot water treatment was evaluated and the effect of addition of NaCl to the treatment solution tested as a means of reducing treatment damage. Hot water immersion was extremely damaging to all cultivars tested, although differences in tolerance existed. Treatment at 50°C for 25 min, a treatment for fruit fly disinfestation, rendered the fruit of all cultivars unmarketable. Sodium chloride at a concentration of 200 mM reduced the mean injury rating averaged over all six cultivars from 3.9 (severe damage) to 1.9 (slight damage), although the latter was still too severe for the fruit to be marketable. At the less injurious temperature of 46°C, the slight amount of injury caused by hot water treatment was eliminated in the presence of NaCl. Flesh firmness was not altered by NaCl in the treatment solution, but firmness was slightly greater in fruit treated at 50°C as compared with 46°C. Sodium chloride reduced damage by effectively reducing the amount of water entering the fruit during treatment and may be useful in reducing the damage from hot water immersion treatments used for surface disinfestation.