Quality and disease incidence of 'Waimanalo Solo' papaya following forced-air heat treatments

Papaya fruit (Carica papaya L. cv. Waimanalo Solo),at color break ripeness, were either not heated (controls) or forced-air heated to center temperatures of 47.5, 48.5, or 49.5 degrees C, and held at these temperatures for 20, 60, 120, or 180 minutes, Following heat treatment, fruit were hydrocooled until reaching a center temperature of 30 degrees C, treated or not treated with prochloraz, allowed to ripen at 26 degrees C and then assessed for quality. Treatment at 48.5 degrees C or 49.5 degrees C for greater than or equal to 60 minutes was associated with skin scalding. No significant scald was observed in other treatments or in the controls. Both control and heat-treated fruit had relatively high levels of decay. Heat treatment increased the incidence of body rots hut did not affect the incidence of stem-end rots. Prochloraz treatment significantly reduced the incidence of decay. With the inclusion of a prochloraz treatment to central postharvest decay, fruit tolerated treatments of 47.5 OC for up to 120 minutes, and 48.5 degrees C and 49.5 degrees C for 20 minutes with no significant damage. Chemical name used: 1-N-propyl-N-(2-(2,4,6-(trichlorophenoxy)ethyl)-1H-imidazole-1-carboxamide (prochloraz).