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Nadav Nitzan, PhD

Stonefruit pathology

During storage, stonefruits are prone to various fungal diseases, the sources of which are diverse and can be on the fruit surface, in the bins and crates, on the harvesting machinery or in the storage facility environment. Infection can take place at any phase during the supply chain - in the orchard, during harvest, in the packing house and during storage and transportation. It is essential to apply good agriculture practices to minimize the chances of disease development during the postharvest supply chain. To do so, tools, bins, crates and cold chambers should be sanitized prior to and during usage. Sharp objects such as wood chips, plastic pieces or nails that can wound the fruit and predispose it to infection should be removed from bins and crates. Infected or injured fruit should be disposed of. Stonefruits should be cooled down by either forced air or hydro cooling to remove field heat and then stored at temperatures between -1 and 0oC. Failure to do so will negatively impact quality, storability and shelf life.


Xtend® bulk packaging for stonefruit

The most common pathogens affecting stonefruit in storage are Molinia fructicula that causes Brown rot, Botrytis cinerea that causes Gray mould and Rhizopus stolonifer that causes Rhizopus rot. Molinia is a field-borne pathogen that infects the flowers in the orchard and develops in the fruit during storage. Botrytis and Rhizopus on the other hand are mainly opportunistic and infect wounded fruits. All three pathogens can develop during storage at typical storage temperatures.


Plums that were packed in Xtend® MA/MH packaging (left) vs. plums that were not (right), after 63 days of storage at 2oC + 3 days of shelf life at 20oC. Notice the decay on the non-Xtend® packed fruits.

StePac offers bulk packaging solutions for stonefruits. Our Xtend® MA/MH packaging reduce dehydration, slow down ripening, preserve firmness, reduce decay and mitigate chilling injury symptoms. The added value of packing in StePac’s Xtend® is therefore prolonged storage, quality retention, reduced supply chain waste, market expansion as well as sea and land transportation instead of air freight.


Apricot packed in Xtend® MA/MH packaging (left) vs. not packed (right) after 40 days of storage at 0.5-1oC. The colour of the fruit indicates that the fruit packed in Xtend® is at an earlier ripening stage than the fruit not packed in Xtend®.

The fruits of our labour are the most suitable packaging solutions coupled with the optimal postharvest handling protocols. This approach makes StePac unique amongst modified atmosphere packaging suppliers in the postharvest industry.


Apricot packed in Xtend® MA/MH packaging (left) vs. not packed (right) after 26 days of storage at 0oC + 2 days of shelf life at 25oC. Notice that the fruit not packed in Xtend® is at an advanced stage of ripening.

For more information:
Deborah Meidan
StePac
Tel: +972 (0)4 6123514
Fax: +972 (0)4 9872946
Email: [email protected]
www.stepac.com
https://www.facebook.com/StePac.FreshProducePackaging
http://www.linkedin.com/company/stepac-l.a.-ltd
https://twitter.com/StePac_Xtend


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