THE EFFECT OF EDIBLE COATINGS ON STORAGE QUALITY OF MCINTOSH, DELICIOUS AND SPARTAN APPLES

McIntosh, Delicious and Spartan apples were coated with several concen trations of Prolong, a sucrose-fatty acid ester, or Nutri-Save, a poly saccharide, and stored in air at 0 degrees C for 120-150 d or in air a t 20 degrees C for 14 d. Retention of flesh firmness and acidity were generally better in coated fruit than in control fruit during the 3-yr study. Non-coated fruit stored under CA for the same periods were sup erior in overall quality than coated fruit stored in air. Core flush a nd scald were lower in coated McIntosh fruit but core flush and breakd own were slightly higher in coated Delicious apples. The higher concen trations of coating materials caused significant skin discoloration (p urplish hue) in McIntosh and Spartan. Discoloration was less severe in Delicious apples. Ripening of the fruit under low and high humidity a t 20 degrees C did not affect quality parameters. Sensory quality was not affected by the coating materials.