The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of heat treatments on quality parameters of 'Fuji' apples. Apples were immersed for either one, two or three minutes in water at 47, 49 or 52ºC. Before the heat treatments the apples had been artificially inoculated with the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea (Moug.: Fr) Ces. & De Not. After the heat treatments, the apples were stored in refrigerated air storage at 0-1ºC for one, three or five months plus seven days at room temperature. At the end of each storage period, apples were evaluated for flesh firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity and weight loss. The heat treatments resulted in reduced titratable acidity, increased TSS contents and had little influence on flesh firmness and weight loss.
heat treatment; Malus domestica Borkh.; white rot
