High temperature curing to reduce Botrytis cinerea infections on kiwifruit.

It was investigated the effects of high temperature (25°C) during curing on firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), total titratable acidity (TTA) and subsequent infection levels of Botrytis cinerea (Pers: Fr), also known as gray mold decay, in stone fruit (Actinidia x deliciosa var. deliciosa cv. Hayward (A. Chev.) C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson). In kiwifruit, curing at room temperature is particularly laborious and expensive as it involves storing the product under cover for periods of between 2 and 5 days, depending on temperature. Furthermore, for kiwifruit, use of a controlled atmosphere (CA) is known to prolong storage time by about one-two months with respect to normal refrigeration (NR), but at the same time, stem end rot caused by B. cinerea increases considerably. The aim of this preliminary study was to identify better kiwifruit heat treatments against Botrytis infections, without compromising maintenance of the flesh softening of the fruit. Different heat treatments on kiwifruit was applied to fresh harvested commodities before store fruit by hot air, for two days, to reduce pathogen infections. The study confirmed that the incidence of stem end rot caused by B. cinerea can be reduced using natural systems involving neither higher costs neither the use of chemicals.