FRUIT IN COOL STORAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 50, 28 February 1935, Page 4

FRUIT IN COOL STORAGE.

EXPERIMENTS WITH APRICOTS. (By Telegraph.—Special to '"Star.") DUNEDIN, this day. Experiments carried out at Alexandra in cold storage of soft fruits afford promise, not only that fruit growers may cscape the cmbarrassmen t caused by a glut of production under conditions such as were experienced last month, but also that it may be possible for them to export these fruits to the Home markets and dispose of them there at a time when they should bo out of season in Groat Britain. Growers were faced last month with the fact that, under the influence of a spoil of unusually hot weather, their soft fruits ripened so quickly that the local market was soon over-stocked with the quantity of supplies that poured into it. A box of Moorpark apricots was picked on January 20 when in t'he condition that iiia>' be described as '"on the turn," ami was placed in cool storage on that day. The apricots wen packed in two layers in the box. They were kept in stores at a uniform temperature of 34 degrees and were removed on February 16, four weeks after the date on which they had been deposited. They were brought to Dunedin on February 19, by which time they had already been cxnosed to the air for a longer period than would ordinarily be the case in a retail fruiterer's shop. On the fifth day after their removal from cool store they were for the first time beginning to show traces of over-ripeness in parts. The : r colour and their flavour, however, were excellent.

It is said that fruit not being subjected to changing temperatures retains its full flavour and food value. A certain prejudice has existed against chilled soft fruits, but when some of the apricots which had been in cool storage were put up for sale in the auction rooms they realised prices considerably in excess of those obtainable four or five weeks ago. If, as would seem probable, cool storage of soft fruits is practicable, fruit-growers may, to the' great benefit of the industry, be enabled to regulate their suj>plies to the local market and to extend widely the area of distribution pf their products.