Ripening and Storage of the 'Liberty' Apple

Abstract

Studies were conducted with ‘Liberty’ apples to assess changes during the harvest season as well as to determine optimal storage conditions. Generally, ‘Liberty’ fruit were smaller, firmer, redder, and sweeter than ‘Empire’ fruit harvested at similar periods. The internal ethylene concentrations of ‘Liberty’ fruit exceeded one ppm approximately two weeks prior to optimal harvest. The development of excessive levels of browncore in ‘Liberty’ fruit, both in refrigerated air and controlled atmosphere storage, suggested that ‘Liberty’ fruit must be stored at higher than 3.1C if extended storage is required. Further study must assess the timing of the development of browncore and the relationship of browncore development to temperatures higher than 3.1C.