Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
North Carolina
: 'Allstar,' 'Ambrosia,' 'Athena,' 'Burpee
Hybrid,' 'Cordele,' 'Durango,' 'Eastern Star,' 'Gold
Star,' 'Primo,' 'Summet,' 'Super-market,' 'Superstar,'
and 'Tasty Sweet' (Schulthies, 1998).
Tennessee
: 'Burpee Hybrid,' 'Athena,' 'Eclipse,' 'Min-
erva,' 'Canadian Gem,' 'Cordele,' 'Gold Star,' 'Legend,'
'Primo,' 'Star Headliner,' and 'Superstar' (Bost et al.,
2002).
Tex a s
: 'Ambrosia,' 'Israeli,' 'Cruiser,' 'Caravelle,' 'Hales
Best,' 'Magnum 45,' 'Mainstream,' 'Mission,' 'Perlita,'
'TAMDew,' and 'TAMUvalde' (Masabni and Lillard,
2011).
melons are either loaded into bulk trucks for transport to
the packinghouse or are packed in the field in 40 lb (18 kg)
cartons, which is the industry standard. The fruits are sized
mechanically or by sight and packed 9, 12, 15, 18, or 23
per carton, and the cartons are labeled as 9-count, 12-count,
and so forth. The palletized cartons are shipped primarily
by truck to terminal markets and wholesale receivers (Hartz
et al., 2008).
Postharvest storage and losses
Cantaloupes are a highly perishable commodity; even if
harvested, handled, and held under optimum conditions,
the fruit will keep good quality for about 2 weeks after the
harvest (Motes et al., 2007). Rapid removal of field heat is
required to maximize the postharvest life of cantaloupes.
The most common approach is forced-air cooling. Once
properly cooled, cantaloupes can be stored at 34
◦
-40
◦
F
(1
◦
-4
◦
C). Hartz et al. (2008) reported that during storage,
water loss through areas of the surface netting that might
have scuffed during harvesting/handling could reduce the
cosmetic quality during storage. Such problems can be min-
imized by careful handling and maintenance of high relative
humidity (90-95%) during storage.
Cantaloupe is a climacteric fruit producing aromatic fla-
vor (Pratt, 1971). During the ripening process, cantaloupes
produce ethylene as high as 100
μ
l/kg/hr, which is respon-
sible for quick senescence (Sangunanwongwichit et al.,
2007). Motes et al. (2007) reported that the best flavor
is attained if melons are held near 70
◦
F for final ripening.
The use of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment was
reported to improve cantaloupe texture and overall quality
(Jeong et al., 2008). However, volatile and genetic analy-
sis indicates that marketing of 1-MCP-treated fruit shortly
after treatment might result in the delivery of fruit to the
consumer with poor likelihood of ester volatile recovery
(Kondo et al., 2005; Ferenczi et al., 2006). The 1-MCP treat-
ment was also shown to be helpful in significantly reducing
the symptoms of chilling injury (Salvador et al., 2006).
Postharvest losses in cantaloupes are often due to fungal
rots, which first occur on the external surface of the fruit
and then progress inward gradually into the flesh. Fungal
pathogens of major concern are
Alternaria, Penicillium,
Cladosporium, Rhizopus,
and
Fusarium
(Agblor and Wa-
terer, 2001);
Alternaria
and
Cladosporium
rots are the com-
monly occurring ones during cold storage.
Alternaria
rot
is characterized by dark brown or black lesions;
Cladospo-
rium
rots are characterized by dark green or black lesions.
Fusarium
and
Rhizopus
rots are problems on fruit stored
at room temperature. Symptoms of
Fusarium
rots are the
formation of white or reddish hyphae on the netted surfaces
of fruit.
Rhizopus
rots are characterized by softening and
Harvesting, packing, and transit
Orange-fleshed cantaloupes are highly regarded for their
unique flavor, and high sugar levels are often the determi-
nant of quality (Yamaguchi et al., 1977). Consumer accep-
tance of melons is driven most often by sweetness or sucrose
(Bianco and Pratt, 1977) and also by an acceptable aroma
bouquet or presence of volatiles (Beaulieu, 2006a). How-
ever, soluble solids (SS) are only partially correlated with
sweetness (Yamaguchi et al., 1977; Mutton et al., 1981) and
high SS alone did not appear to adequately define “good
melon quality” (Currence and Larson, 1941; Aulenbach
and Worthington, 1974; Mutton et al., 1981). Fruit har-
vested before development of the abscission zone will not
develop flavor and volatiles similar to fruit that remained
on the vine until fully ripe (Pratt, 1971; Wyllie et al., 1996;
Beaulieu and Grimm, 2001).
Cantaloupes are harvested manually at the full-slip stage
of maturity for best taste and texture. At full slip, the stem
pulls away from the fruit, leaving a scar at the stem end
(Orzolek et al., 2006). Motes et al. (2007) reported that
properly matured cantaloupes for shipping (i.e., market ma-
turity) should be half-slip, firm, well netted, and not deeply
colored (at half-slip, the abscission layer between the stem
and fruit is half formed and will allow the remaining half to
separate with minimal force). Typically, a cantaloupe that
has not attained half-slip is not fully developed for the har-
vest, as indicated by a lack of maximum sweetness, flavor,
volatiles, and aroma (Pratt, 1971; Beaulieu and Grimm,
2001; Beaulieu, 2006a). Motes et al. (2007) also reported
that after the half-slip harvest, cantaloupe ripening takes
about 3 days at room temperature.
Melons are usually picked every other day for the first
2-3 picking days and every day for the next 20-25 days. The
length of harvest depends on (1) condition of the vines, (2)
number of melons, (3) season of year, and (4) the intended
market (Motes et al., 2007).
Hartz et al. (2008) reported that the fruit of good qual-
ity will have a SSC of at least 10
◦
Brix. After harvesting,
Search WWH ::
Custom Search