CALCIUM SOURCE AFFECTS CALCIUM CONTENT, FIRMNESS, AND DEGREE OF INJURY OF APPLES DURING STORAGE

Fruit from five apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars were pressure-infiltrated at 103 kPa for 6 min with a 0%, 0.73%, 1.46%, 2.91%, or 5.82% (w/v) Ca-equivalent solution of CaCl2, Ca EDTA chelate, or buffered CaCl2 solution (Stopit). The fruit were stored at 0 +/- 1C for 18 weeks and then evaluated for Ca content, firmness, and injury. Fruit treated with Ca chelate had no increase in fruit Ca content and were injured at all treatment levels. No significant differences occurred in fruit Ca levels between CaCl2 and Stopit treatments across all cultivars tested. Apples treated with Stopit were firmer than apples treated with CaCl2, when averaged across cultivars. Fruit Ca levels, firmness, and incidence of injury were positively correlated with concentrations of CaCl2 and Stopit for all cultivars.