Many post-harvest losses are direct result of factors such as harvesting, sorting, grading, packaging, storage, transportation and marketing. Postharvest fruits remain physiologically active after harvesting. Respiration, which is the primary metabolism, can affect and constrain the life span of fruit and vegetable products, as well as quality and nutrition changes during storage.
Apples are used as the fresh fruit, and apples not suitable for fresh fruit are used for the production of juice, cider, sauce, vinegar, jam, jelly, pie filling and as an ingredient in a variety of baked goods. Pectin is extracted from the peels and cores.
After harvesting, the fruit are washed in dilute HCL or NaOH solutions to remove spray residues and are rinsed. For fresh apples, the optimal storage temperature is the lowest temperature that does not cause chilling damage.
Normally, apples are cooled to and stored at 32 °F until shipped. Increased storage life is attained by reducing the amount of oxygen and increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere around the apples.
Apple fruit postharvest
