Effect of forced-air cooling rate on the quality of Fortune plums

Fortune plums were sampled within the optimum maturity window and the fruit was either subjected to pre-cooling, or not pre-cooled, prior to forced-air cooling (FAC) at different rates. After FAC the fruit was stored at –0.5°C for 42 days. The fruit population selected in the 2006 season was not sensitive to rapid cooling. Therefore, fruit from all treatments had acceptable quality after cold storage and after shelf-life. However, previous results showed that Fortune plums were sensitive to rapid cooling. These results suggest that cooling rate is not the main cause for poor quality after storage with Fortune plums. As good standard practice it is recommended that Fortune plums be cooled to temperature in a time period between 24 and 48 hours