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Abstract
Excerpts from the report: Several precooling methods and types of containers were studied to determine their effects on the market quality of artichoke buds after simulated transit and marketing periods. Commercial handling practice was simulated by holding the packed artichokes 48 hours before they were placed in a cold room. The market quality of these buds was compared with that of buds that were room-precooled or hydrocooled on the day of harvest. The effectiveness of a fungicide, dehydroacetic acid (DHA), for control of grey mold was tested in conjunction with hydrocooling. The rate of heat removal from artichokes during hydrocooling was investigated in relation to the following factors: Size of the buds, arrangement of the buds in the containers, number of layers of buds, method of stacking the crates, rate of water flow, and addition of a wetting agent to the cooling water