Feedback, Questions & Comments

Please see our Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality of Early Crop Potatoes: http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/pfvegetable/PotatoesEarly/

This should provide you with the optimal temperature and relative humidity information that will help you store your crop in the best way.  A perforated plastic bag will help reduce moisture loss. (M.E. Reed)

I have forwarded your question to Dr. Marita Cantwell and Dr. Diane Barrett who work with fresh-cut products.  If they have helpful information they will reply to you directly. (M.E. Reed)

I am sorry, I am not aware of a video in Spanish about this topic.  (M.E. Reed)

You would be welcome to send us some copies of your literature and we can place it out on display with other literature at our workshops.  I would also suggest that you consider contacting Jeff Brandenberg who is a consultant who specializes in films, and he might have some suggestions about ways to help you get the word out.

I have forwarded your question to Dr. Mary Lu Arpaia, a citrus expert, and she will reply to you directly with any information.  (M.E. Reed)

I have forwarded your question to postharvest engineer Jim Thompson.  He will reply to your question directly if he has helpful information. (M.E. Reed)

Unfortunately I don’t have any experience in this topic – my apologies!

Diane M. Barrett, PhD

I have sent your question out to our specialists, and they will reply to you directly if they have any information for you.  (M.E. Reed)

I have forwarded your question to our specialists and they will reply to you directly if they have any information for you. (M.E. Reed)

I am sorry, we do not currently have available on our website any photos of berry defects.  Here is a link to the berry photos we currently have available in our repository: http://ucanr.org/sites/postharvest/PFfruits/BushberriesPhotos/

Best wishes on your search.  (M.E. Reed)

I have forwarded your question to our specialists, and if any of them have information on this subject, they will reply to you directly. (M.E. Reed)

Here is some feedback from Dr. Adel Kader:

The following links lead to information that may be useful to you

• Kiwifruit Nutritional Standards (pdf)

J.A. Beutel, UCCE Pomologist, UC Davis (1 p.)

http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/datastore/?ds=391&reportnumber=612&catcol=2806&categorysearch=Kiwifruit

 Adel A. Kader

You can probably find all the helpful Postharvest Recommendations information you need on our Produce Fact Sheets.  (The link goes to the Spanish translation section.)  Hope this is helpful!

I have forwarded your question to Beth Mitcham and Jim Thompson to see if they have any information on this subject.  They will reply to you directly.  (M.E. Reed)

Here is a link to the University of California's IPM (Integrated Pest Management) site on Citrus Thrips that offers many helpful resources.  (M.E. Reed)

I agree you should remove CCP’s from a formal HACCP plan and move to develop a HAPC plan in anticipation of FDA Produce Safety Rule. Depending on customers, a requirement for GFSI certification may be worth evaluating.  -- Dr. Trevor Suslow

I have forwarded your question to our specialists, and if they have helpful information for you they will reply directly.  (M.E. Reed)

If you check all of our five apple Produce Fact Sheets (Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality) we recommend 90-95% RH.  While waxing does help protect the fruit, it is only a part of the picture. (M.E. Reed)

I have forwarded your question to Dr. Diane Barrett, and she will respond to you directly. (M.E. Reed)

Mature-green, fresh plantains are best shipped at 10-12 C (thermostat setting at 11 C) and 90-95% relative humidity. Fresh air introduction into the marine container should be at 75 liters per hour. Under such conditions, plantains should remain in good conditions for up to 4 weeks.

Dr. Adel Kader

I have forwarded your question to Dr. Carlos Crisosto, and he will reply to you directly.  (M.E. Reed)

I will forward your question to Dr. Diane Barrett, and she will reply with her response directly.  (M.E. Reed)

Hello,

Please see our “Broccoli: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality” web page:

http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/pfvegetable/Broccoli/

On this page you can find the correct temperature, humidity, etc.

Hope this is helpful.

M.E. Reed

You will likely find some helpful information in our "Avocado: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality" web page.  Additionally, we offer wonderful International Avocado Quality handbooks and booklets for sale, for a complete description and to order, see the On Line Order Form.

Please email your photos to postharvest@ucdavis.edu.

Here is the link to our web page about the 2012 Fruit Ripening & Retail Handling Workshop.  Thanks for your kind remarks.  (M.E. Reed)

Here is resource information from Dr. Trevor Suslow:

Basic screening methodology

C.L. Igeleke and D.K.G. Ayanru , 2007. Evaluation of Fungicides on Growth and Conidial Germination of Verticillium theobromae Isolated from Plantain . Journal of Applied Sciences, 7: 531-535.

This has in vivo methodology

Fungal Pathogens Associated with Banana Fruit in Sri Lanka, and their Treatment with Essential Oils

Sulali Anthony, Krishanthi Abeywickrama, Ranjith Dayananda, Shanthi Wijeratnam and Luxshmi Arambewela Mycopathologia

Volume 157, Number 1, 91-97, DOI: 10.1023/B:MYCO.0000012226.95628.99

To answer your question, I asked Dr. Jim Adaskaveg, an expert in disease control and use of fungicides for produce.  Following is his response.

"We have found that some fungicides are unaffected by sodium hypochlorite (e.g., fludioxonil, propiconazole, TBZ); whereas others are affected and degraded rapidly (e.g., pyrimethanil, imazalil). I have never tested iprodione but I am guessing that it is probably unstable. If it is degraded, the reaction is fairly quick. We measured residues of fungicide in a aqueous solution with and without 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite after a few hours. If the same amount is present then no degradation occurs. We then did efficacy trials with inoculated fruit using the same treatments to ensure the activity of the fungicide was not lost and that the solutions were not phytotoxic. This is published in Plant Disease  92: 261-269."

Iprodione is the chemical name for Rovral.  It seems Dr. Adaskaveg feels it is not a good idea to mix Rovral with chlorine, however he has never tested it. He suggests that you could try making the mixture and then having the efficacy of the solution tested as compared to fungicide without chlorine.

This will give you the final answer.

Dr. Beth Mitcham

I have forwarded your question to Dr. Michael Reid, and he will reply to you directly.  (M.E. Reed)

BabelFish Translation:

Thank you for your kind remarks.

The green color formation in garlic is related to the acidity of the garlic. If you add citric acid, which increases the acidity, the green color gets worse but if you add salt, it can decrease the acidity. I would suggest adding different amounts of salt and see if that helps. Good luck!

Dr. Diane Barrett

Lack of correct temperature, lack of correct humidity, and presence of physical, physiological or pathological disorders.

M.E. Reed

A firm-ripe tomato, (USDA Color Stage 6) can be held at 7 - 10°C (44 - 50°F) for 3-5 days.  For more information please see our Produce Fact Sheet: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality of Tomato. --M.E. Reed

Please look at the ** content at the bottom of the Maturity Indices of the Granny Smith Produce Facts: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality.  Also, please take a look at the associated table.

M.E. Reed

I forwarded your question to Dr. Marita Cantwell, who will reply to you directly.

M.E. Reed

The Postharvest Technology Center focuses on the handling of produce after it has been harvested.

Dr. Adel Kader suggested that you search the UC Fruit & Nut Research & Information Center's site for papaya information (http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/datastore/?ds=391&reportnumber=612&catcol=2806&categorysearch=Papaya)  and also check out the California Rare Fruit Growers Association's web site (http://www.crfg.org/).

M.E. Reed 

I forwarded your question to Dr. Michael Reid, and he will reply to you directly.  Thanks for writing.  --M.E. Reed

I forwarded your question to specialist Jim Thompson, and he will reply to you directly.  --M. E. Reed

Dr. Adel Kader will reply separately, and provide you with several papers, and a book chapter that will give you information about this subject.

The following section is from the Produce Facts on bananas on our website:

Chilling injury. Symptoms include surface discoloration, dull or smokey color, subepidermal tissues reveal dark-brown streaks, failure to ripen, and, in severe cases, flesh browning. Chilling injury results from exposing bananas to temperatures below 13°C (56°F) for a few hours to a few days, depending on cultivar, maturity, and temperature. For example, moderate chilling injury will result from exposing mature-green bananas to one hour at 10°C (50°F), 5 hours at 11.7°C (53°F), 24 hours at 12.2°C (54°F), or 72 hours at 12.8°C (55°F). Chilled fruits are more sensitive to mechanical injury.

Here is a link to a paper about chilling injury of  bananas and plantains.

--Adel A. Kader

For information about this topic, please see Chapter 3 of the linked PDF “Small Scale Postharvest Practices for Horticultural Crops” (http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-1450.pdf)   which is also available for purchase. (See a complete description with a link to our Order Form.)

I have also cc’d Dr. Marita Cantwell who has expertise on this subject. She will email you directly if she has additional resources that will be useful.

Hope this is helpful,
M.E. Reed

Here is the link to Produce Facts: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality of Passion Fruit.

Here is a link to the 2001 version of "Properties and Recommended Conditions for Long Term Storage of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables" by Dr. Marita Cantwell (pdf). 

For information about Disorders in banana, please see our Produce Facts:  Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality of Banana. Additionally, I have forwarded your request to Dr. Adel Kader, who will reply to you directly if he has any additional information that will be useful to you.

Here is Dr. Linda Harris's reply to your question:

It is not clear if this question relates to home freezing or commercial freezing.  I don't have experience with either.  General information on freezing at home can be found at the National Center for Home Preservation:  http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/gen_freeze.html

The University of Missouri provide the following recommendations for freezing kiwi http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH1507:

Kiwi

Select plump, ripe kiwi fruit that yield to gentle pressure when squeezed. Wash, peel and slice.

• Syrup pack
  Pack fruit into containers. Cover with 30 or 40 percent syrup, leave head space, seal and freeze.Tip: If you plan to use frozen kiwi fruit in gelatin desserts, bring it to a boil, simmer 2 to 3 minutes and cool before freezing. Raw kiwi fruit, either fresh or frozen, contains an enzyme that prevents a gel from forming. Heating the kiwi fruit before freezing will prevent this problem.

And at Michigan State http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod01/01600761.html:

Freezing Kiwi:  Kiwi fruit freezes very well. Peel and cut it into slices and freeze it with a honey syrup. Don't dry pack kiwi fruit; when frozen without liquid kiwi becomes astringent. 

We appreciate your kind remarks, I will pass along your request to the specialists.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

We appreciate your kind remarks.

We appreciate your kind remarks.