The South African Citrus Industry is the second largest exporter of citrus, after Spain. The industry is under pressure to supply high quality fruit as well as to expand into new, high paying markets. However, high paying markets such as Japan and the USA require cold sterilised fruit as obligatory quarantine treatments against Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) in order to reduce any possible spread of the pest. Citrus fruit originated from tropical climates and hence are chilling susceptible. Chilling injury symptoms appear as dark brown spots, pitting and/or decay when fruit are transferred to shelf temperatures; thus reducing the marketability of citrus fruit. Therefore, there is need for methods to mitigate chilling injury. Previous studies have shown silicon to mitigate many forms of stress without any hazardous effect on human health. Thus, the aim of the study was to investigate the potential of post-harvest silicon dips in mitigating chilling symptoms in citrus fruit. Briefly, fruit from two sources (Ukulinga Research Farm and Ithala Farm) were dipped in different silicon concentrations (0, 50, 150, and 250 mg ℓ-1) for 30 minutes and thereafter stored at -0.5 or 2⁰C for up to 28 days with weekly evaluation for chilling injury symptoms. Total antioxidants were determined using FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH assays under spectrophotometer. In addition, sugars, ascorbic acid, phenolics and flavonoids were analysed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Fruit from Ukulinga Research Farm showed significantly higher total antioxidants (ascorbic acid total phenolics and specific flavonoids hesperidin and naringin) and sugars relative to fruit from Ithala Farm. Low concentrations of silicon dips significantly reduced the appearance of chilling injury symptoms by inducing an enzymatic conversion of glucose to ascorbic acid, thereby increasing the antioxidant capacity of chilling susceptible fruit. Moreover, silicon increased the concentration of total antioxidants, total phenolics and total flavonoids. High silicon concentrations had a negative effect on post-harvest quality of lemons by increasing fruit weight loss and electrolyte leakage, resulting in appearance of chilling symptoms. In conclusion, the study showed that silicon had potential to reduce chilling injury. However, high silicon concentrations raised concern, in particularly, on fruit appearance. / Thesis (M.Sc.Agric.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Bibliography: leaves 204-211. / v, 211 leaves : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / This study investigates the effects of a number of petroleum and vegetable oils against citrus pests. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied and Molecular Ecology, 2000

Thesis (MScAgric)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Rind colour is one of the most important external quality characteristics of citrus fruit and plays an important role in purchasing decisions by consumers. Consumers perceive brightlycoloured fruit to be sweet and mature, whereas citrus with a green rind is perceived to be sour and immature. However, there is a poor correlation between rind colour and internal quality, contradicting what is generally assumed by the fruit-buying public. In general, a bright orange rind colour improves consumer acceptance. Thus, it is important to ensure that the rind of citrus fruit is well-coloured on arrival at the market. Various pre-harvest cultural practices and postharvest techniques can be applied to improve rind colour. Degreening with ethylene gas is the most commonly used postharvest technology to improve rind colour, but has various negative side-effects. Degreened fruit are more prone to decay, have rinds which appear dull and flaccid, have been reported to develop off-flavours and have a shorter shelf-life period. Therefore, it is necessary to find alternatives to ethylene degreening and to extend shelf-life of citrus fruit. Under normal orchard conditions, rind colour development is associated with low night temperatures, usually experienced during autumn or following the passing of a cold front. To simulate cold front conditions, a hydrocooler and cold room were used to rapidly drop fruit temperature to 4 ºC for 6 hours, and then fruit were incubated at 20 to 22 ºC for 72 hours. This “cold shock” treatment of ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin improved rind colour to a level similar to that of degreened fruit in the 2002 season due to a decrease in chlorophyll content and increase in carotenoid content. However, this result could not be repeated. Storage temperature is one of the most important postharvest factors affecting rind colour. Citrus fruit shipped to export markets requiring low temperatures (-0.6 ºC) for pest disinfestations purposes have been reported to arrive with poor rind colour. Shipping under low temperatures results in poor rind colour of fruit on arrival in the market. To comply with the USA’s phytosanitary requirement for imported citrus, fruit is held at -0.6 ºC for a minimum of 22 days. The effect of shipping at various temperatures (-0.6 ºC or 4.5 ºC), durations and the influence of initial rind colour, “orange” or “yellow”, on fruit colour upon arrival in the market was evaluated. Fruit shipped at a higher temperature (4.5 ºC) had a marginally better rind colour than fruit shipped at -0.6 ºC. The perceived loss of rind colour following shipping at sub-zero temperatures is probably due to carotenoid degradation. Therefore, initial rind colour plays a critical role in final product quality. Depending on market destination and shipping temperature, pale-coloured fruit should not be packed for markets sensitive to rind colour. Holding temperature after shipping can be effectively used to improve the rind colour of fruit arriving in the market with undesirable rind colour. An intermediate holding temperature of between 11 and 15 ºC resulted in the greatest improvement in rind colour after 2 weeks. A high holding temperature (20 ºC) caused colour degradation, whereas a low holding temperature (4.5 ºC) resulted in the maintenance of rind colour. By selecting the correct holding temperature, even after shipping at sub-zero temperatures, final colour can be improved. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tyd-temperatuur interaksie op na-oes skilkleur ontwikkeling by sitrus Skilkleur is een van die belangrikste eksterne kwaliteitseienskappe van die sitrusvrug en spëel ʼn belangrikke rol in wat verbruikers koop. Verbruikers verwag dat heldergekleurde vrugte soet en ryp sal wees, terwyl sitrus met ʼn groen skil geassosieer word met onrypheid en ʼn suur smaak. In teenstelling hiermee is daar egter ʼn swak korrelasie tussen skilkleur en interne kwaliteit. Aangesien ʼn heldergekleurde oranje skil verbruikersaanvaarding verbeter, is dit dus belangrik om te verseker dat die sitrusvrug ʼn goeie skilkleur het teen die tyd wat dit die mark bereik. Verskeie voor-oes bestuurspraktyke en na-oes tegnieke kan toegepas word om die skilkleur te verbeter. Ontgroening met etileen gas is die tegnologie wat mees algemeen gebruik word om skilkleur na oes te verbeter, maar dit het egter verskeie newe effekte tot gevolg. Ontgroende vrugte is meer vatbaar vir bederf en verwelkde skille met ʼn dowwe voorkoms. Afsmaake kan voorkom en ʼn verkorte rakleeftyd is al gerapporteer. Dit is dus noodsaaklik om ʼn alternatief vir etileen ontgroening te ontwikkel en die rakleeftyd van sitrusvrugte te verleng. Onder normale boordomstandighede word skilkleur ontwikkeling geassosieer met lae nag temperature wat gewoonlik in die herfs of na ʼn kouefront ondervind word. Om soortgelyke omstandighede na te boots, was ʼn “hydrocooler” en koelkamers gebruik om die temperatuur vinnig te laat daal tot by 4 °C en dit vir 6 uur daar te hou. Die vrugte was dan by 20 tot 22 °C geinkubeer vir 72 uur. Hierdie “koueskok” behandeling van ‘Nules Clementine’ mandaryn het skilkleur verbeter tot ʼn vlak vergelykbaar met ontgroende vrugte in die 2002 seisoen wat ontstaan het weens ʼn verlaging in chlorofil en ʼn toename in die karotinoïed inhoud van die skil. Opbergingstemperatuur is een van die belangrikste na-oes faktore wat skilkleur beinvloed. Sitrusvrugte wat verskeep word na uitvoermarkte wat lae temperature (-0.6 °C) vir disinfestasie vereis arriveer soms by die mark met ʼn swak skilkleur. Om die fitosanitêre vereistes vir die invoer van sitrus deur die VSA na tekom, was vrugte vir ʼn minimum van 22 dae by -0.6 °C gehou. Die effek van verskeping by verskeie temperature (-0.6 °C of 4.5 °C), tydperke en die invloed van aanvanklike skilkleur, “oranje” of “geel” was geevalueer by aankoms in die mark. Vrugte wat by hoër temperature (4.5 °C) verskeep was het ʼn effens beter skilkleur as vrugte by -0.6 °C getoon. Die verlies in skilkleur wat waargeneem word na verskeping onder vriespunt kan moontlik toegeskryf word aan karotenoiëd afbraak. Daarom speel aanvanklike skilkleur ʼn kritieke rol in finale produk kwaliteit. Die finale mark bestemming en verskepingstemperatuur sal bepaal of swakgekleurde vrugte verpak kan word. Opbergingstemperatuur na verskeping kan effektief gebruik word om die skilkleur van vrugte wat swak gekleur was met aankoms by die mark te verbeter. Matige temperature tussen 11 en 15 °C het na 2 weke die beste verbetering in skilkleur gelewer. Hoër temperature (20 °C) het skilkleur nadelig beinvloed, terwyl lae temperature skilkleur behou het. Deur die korrekte temperatuur te kies, selfs na verskeping by temperature onder vriespunt, kan uiteindelike skilkleur steeds verbeter word.

Thesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Agriculture has emerged as a major economic activity in the African continent. Therefore, fruits and vegetables are considered as essential source of vitamins, minerals and proteins. However, fruits and vegetables are perishing rapidly. Thus, the adequate handling starts from the field, by applying appropriate method of storage and preservation in order to reduce post-harvest losses and extend its shelf life. Preservation by removing heat from the products is the most common method of preservation. In rural areas, the access to the grid is expensive or in some cases impossible. Therefore, researchers have been paying more attention to find alternative sources of power to run the cooling units. This study provides proof of a concept for the use of solar energy to cool down harvested fruits and vegetables at the farm level to an adequate farm storage temperature. The target storage temperature range is between 5 and 15 oC. A model refrigerator was designed and constructed in the mechanical engineering workshop of Cape Peninsula University of Technology. It was installed and tested in outdoor conditions to get the effect of different weather conditions. The model consists of a typical vapour compression system powered by a 12 V solar PV system. A DC compressor was used, and therefore, there is no inverter. The model was first tested without a product and then with 20 kg batches of different fruits for a period of two weeks in April 2016. Wind speed, ambient temperature and solar radiation intensity data were monitored and collected from a Campbell Scientific weather station mounted on the roof adjacent to the model. By monitoring the temperatures and compressor current hourly, the refrigeration effect, power consumption and coefficient of performance were determined. The overall COP based on input solar energy was 2.8. It was thus proved that a suitably sized PV system could be designed and implemented at farm level to cool harvested fruits from ambient to storage temperature without the use of an inverter. This could go some way to helping retard deterioration of fruits and vegetables before delivery to a marketplace or to storage.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T16:44:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PGPV05MA010.pdf: 2364628 bytes, checksum: a26d762f12b077b4afb4ad6e6c202a7d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-12-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Red strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) has a high potential for in natura fruit commercialization. However, this requires the characterization of fruit postharvest physiology to improve its storage potential and to preserve its physical and chemical attributes. This research was carried out to study the effects of fruit maturity at harvest and storage temperature on postharvest physiology and ripening of red strawberry guavas. Fruits were harvested at green (100% of epidermis surface with green color) and mature (50% of epidermis surface with red color) stages, stored in BOD type chambers at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30ºC (RH of 85-90%) and assessed in terms of respiration and ethylene evolution rates, and skin color (L=lightness and hº=hue angle). There was a substantial increment of respiration rate with the increase of storage temperature from 0 to 30ºC, with Q10 values of 3.10 and 3.32 for fruits harvested at green and mature stages, respectively. No ethylene was detected in the fruits with the increase of temperature. For fruits kept at 20ºC, the respiration rate decreased along the storage period (11 days), especially in fruits harvested at the mature stage, while at 0oC the respiration rate was lower than that at 20oC and constant along the entire storage period (21 days). This respiratory trend, associated with the very low ethylene evolution rates, characterize the non-climacteric ripening behavior of red strawberry guavas. Fruits harvested at green stage showed, in comparison to fruit harvested at mature stage, slightly lower sensory quality (with lower soluble solids content and higher acidity) but a better firmness and green color retention (lower reductions of hº and L in the epidermis, indicative of a smaller changes from green to red color), specially for fruits stored at 0oC, and a lower incidence of rots for fruits stored at 20oC. The delay of fruit cooling after harvest resulted in a significant reduction of flesh firmness, soluble solids content and titratable acidity, and in a more substantial change of skin color from green to red, after 11 days of cold storage (at 0oC), followed by three days shelf-life (at 20oC). These results show that red strawberry guavas have high respiratory rates and accelerated ripening process at ambient temperatures. Therefore, it is recommended the immediate fruit storage at 0oC after harvest to prolong its postharvest conservation. Fruit harvested at green stage have a better postharvest conservation, despite of sensible reduction of sensory quality, in comparison to fruit harvested at mature stage / O araçá-vermelho (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) apresenta grande potencial de exploração comercial para consumo in natura, sendo relevante o estudo da sua fisiologia pós-colheita, visando ampliar o período de armazenamento dos frutos, através da preservação de suas características físicas e químicas. Este trabalho foi conduzido visando estudar os efeitos do estádio de maturação, da temperatura de armazenamento e do atraso no resfriamento dos frutos sobre a fisiologia e preservação da qualidade pós-colheita de araçá-vermelho. Frutos colhidos nos estádios de maturação verde (100% da epiderme verde) e maduro (50% da epiderme vermelha) foram armazenados em câmaras BOD a 0, 5, 10, 20 e 30ºC (UR de 85-90%) para a quantificação das taxas respiratórias e de produção de etileno e das alterações na coloração da epiderme (L= lightness e hº=ângulo hue ). Houve aumento substancial na taxa respiratória com o aumento na temperatura de armazenamento de 0 a 30ºC, com valores de Q10 de 3,10 e 3,32 para frutos colhidos nos estádios de maturação maduro e verde, respectivamente. Não foi detectada produção de etileno, mesmo com a elevação da temperatura. Em frutos mantidos a 20ºC, a taxa respiratória decresceu ao longo do período de armazenamento (11 dias), especialmente em frutos colhidos no estádio maduro, enquanto a 0oC a taxa respiratória foi baixa e constante ao longo de todo o período de armazenamento (21 dias). Este comportamento respiratório, aliado a baixa capacidade de produção de etileno, caracteriza um padrão não-climatérico de maturação do araçá-vermelho. Frutos colhidos no estádio de maturação verde apresentaram, em relação a frutos colhidos no estádio maduro, sensível redução na qualidade sensorial, caracterizada pelo menor teor de sólidos solúveis totais e maior acidez, porém uma melhor retenção de firmeza e de cor da epiderme (com menores reduções de hº e L na epiderme, indicando pequena alteração na cor de verde para vermelho), especialmente quando armazenados a 0oC, e menor incidência de podridões quando armazenados a 20oC. O retardo no resfriamento dos frutos após a colheita resultou em reduções significativas na firmeza de polpa, no teor de sólidos solúveis totais e na acidez titulável, e maior alteração na cor da epiderme de verde para vermelho, quantificados após 11 dias de armazenamento a 0oC, mais três dias de comercialização simulada (20oC). Estes resultados demonstram que o araçá vermelho apresenta elevadas taxas respiratórias e acelerado processo de maturação pós-colheita em condições de temperatura ambiente, sendo, portanto, recomendado o imediato armazenamento dos frutos a temperaturas próximas de 0oC, visando prolongar a sua conservação. O fruto colhido em estádio verde apresenta melhor conservação pós-colheita, porém sensível redução na sua qualidade sensorial, em relação a fruto colhido em estádio maduro