FRUIT IN COOL STORE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18223, 17 October 1922, Page 9

FRUIT IN COOL STORE.

CAUSE OF DETERIORATION ILL VENTILATION INDICATE! EXPERIENCE IN DOMINION The deterioration of apples durin transport to England, to which much al tention has been given recently, has bee experienced in New Zealand. Many con: plaints have been made by local oor sumers of the damaged' condition of frui sold during r the last few months. I England the trouble is known as "brow heart, ' while in the United States it i called "internal breakdown," and in th Dominion "flesh collapse." Inquiries show that flesh collapse is n new thing. It has been encountered eve since the cool storage of apples was com meneed. It is stated to br, found onl; m fruit that has been in cool store fo some time and is particularly prevalen in Sturmer apples and one or two othe late varieties. In some cool stores ther has been no sign of it, yet in others larg quantities of fruit have been affected. The opinion was expressed vesterdabv Mr. Harvey Turner that the cause d flesh collapse was that not sufficient fresl an- was brought in from outside, with ♦In result that the apples were literally suf focated in the pases given off by them Some of the tougher varieties of apples such as Doughertys, Commerce, ant Delicious were immune, the rotten core sometimes found in Delicious being dm to cracking of the case induced by quid growth. It had been proved that apple kept at high and low temperatures, hu with ample ventilation, and in the casi of some of the smaller Southern coo stores where the insulation was faulty flesh collapse had not appeared. Yet ii a number of cool stores with well-regu lated temperatures, the trouble had beet widespread, and the explanation appearer to be suffocation owing to lack o fresh air. Mr. Turner said he did not think th damage was done by storage at too low i temperature. Apples which were p'noei in cool store at. a temperature below freez ing point, which was then increased to a high as 50deg., had no signs of flesh col lapse. If, howevor. a low temperaturi was maintained, with bad circulation, th conditions would undoubtedly conduce t< flesh collapse. His firm stored 30.00 cases of fruit in its own rooms and it hat experienced no trouble, but there ha< been a good deal of flesh collapse in fruit notably Nelson apples, which had beei cool stored in other places. The idea temperature for apples was from 33deg. U 35deg. and few pears ldeg. or 2deg. lower A forced draught was induced by mean of electric fans every two days, and to thi he attributed the freedom from flesh col lapse of the apples stored by his firm.