Effect of radio frequency heating as a potential quarantine treatment on the quality of 'Bing' sweet cherry fruit and mortality of codling moth larvae

'Bing' sweet cherry (Prunnus avium L.) fruit quality and fifth-instar codling moth (Cydia pomonella [L.]) mortality were evaluated after radio frequency (RF) heating. The fruit were heated with radio frequency energy to four target temperatures (50, 52, 53 and 54 degrees C), held in the RF-heated water for various holding times from 0.5 to 6 min, and stored under simulated air or sea shipment conditions (5 degrees C for 24 h or 0 degrees C for 2 weeks, respectively) before quality evaluation. There was no significant effect on cherry color, decay or shrivel, and RF had only a slight effect on berry browning. Regardless of shipment, stem browning and berry pitting were affected by RF-heating. Cherry quality was most affected when fruit were treated with RF and stored to simulate sea shipment. Heating the fruit to 53 or 54 degrees C assured 100% codling moth larval mortality. Treatments that may provide quarantine security include heating fruit to 52 degrees C and holding for 4 min, 53 degrees C for 1.5 min or 54 degrees C for 1 min, but quality of the cherries following these treatments was only acceptable when fruit were stored to simulate air shipment. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.