Physiological Disorder:

Temperature related (high & low)

By: Ts. Dr. Siti Fairuz Yusoff
 Postharvest stage
❑ Grading
❑ Precooling
❑ Packaging
❑ Storage:
i. Principal & operation
ii. Physiological disorder ❑Preservation
❑ Treatment ❑ Processing
Producer Customer

1 Harvesting 2 3 4 204
Packing House Preservation &
Processing
Food Quality & Safety

❑ Maturity Index
❑ Harvesting method
 Physiological Disorder
-involve plant tissue breakdown
- NOT directly caused by
• pests
• diseases
• mechanical damage
- Develop in response to various pre- and
postharvest conditions

- Develop in response to an adverse environment,

especially temperature, or to a nutritional deficiency
during growth and development.
 Low Temperature Disorders
Low storage temperature
- Reduce rate of respiration
- Reduce rate of metabolism

Low Temperature Disorders

-Some reactions are sensitive to low temperature and
cease completely below a critical temperature
- Imbalance in metabolism:
1. Essential substrates not being provided
2. Toxic products being accumulated
3. The cells less function properly and will eventually lose their
integrity and structure
4. Cause cells collapse 🡪 tissue browning
 Low Temperature Disorders

Metabolic disturbances

Chilling Injury Physiological disorders

Show the symptoms during low T storage
Or
After removed from chilling T 🡪 ambient T
🡪 rapid deterioration (only a few hours)
Mechanism of chilling Injury
Time sequence of events leading to chilling injury

Primary events
(plant cell sense Secondary events Chilling
lowered T) (long-term response) injury

•Physical changes in •Impaired metabolic processes •Membrane

membrane lipids (respiration, protein synthesis etc.) breakdown
• Dissociation of • Impaired ion movements through •Necrosis,
enzymes membranes visible
• Impaired protoplasmic streaming symptoms of
injury
Reversible Irreversible
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms of some fruits
No Produce Lowest safe storage Symptoms
temperature (oC)

1 Avocado 5-12 Pitting, browning of pulp and

vascular strands
2 Banana 12 Brown streaking on skin
3 Cucumber 7 Dark-coloured, water-soaked areas
4 Eggplant 7 Surface scald (terbakar)
5 Lemon 10 Pitting of flavedo, membrane
staining, red blotches
6 Lime 7 Pitting
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms of some fruits
No Produce Lowest safe storage Symptoms
temperature (oC)

7 Mango 5-12 Dull skin, brown areas

8 Melon 7-10 Pitting, surface rots
9 Papaya 7-15 Pitting, water-soaked areas
10 Pineapple 6-15 Brown or black flesh
11 Tomato 10-12 Pitting, Alternaria rots
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

❖ Skin pitting
-is a common chilling injury symptom
- due to collapse of cells beneath the surface
- the pits are often discoloured

❖ Browning
-Result from the action of the
polyphenoloxidase (PPO) enzyme on
phenolic compounds released from the
vacuole during chilling
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

❖ Development of off-flavours or odours

- is another consequence of chilling injury
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

Flesh Reddening And

"Woolly" Texture Of
Nectarines Stored At 2°
C For 3 Weeks
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

Shrivelling And Pitting

Of Pepper With Chilling
Injury. Note Lower
Susceptibility Of The
Red Variety.
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

Water-Soaking Of
Asparagus Tips Due To
Storage At 0°C.
Shrivelling And
Secondary Rot Is Also
Occurring.
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

Low Temperature
Induced Internal
Browning Of "Newton"
Apple Stored At 0°C.
 Chilling Injury
Chilling injury symptoms:

Pitting, Shrivelling
And Yellowing Of
Cucumber Held At 0°C
For 4 Days.
 Chilling Injury
How to manage chilling injury?
-determine the critical temperature for its
development in a particular produce

- not expose the commodity to temperatures

below that critical temperature

- modified atmosphere storage may be also

reduce chilling injury in some commodities

- maintaining high RH both in storage at low

temperature and after storage
 Physiological Disorder
-Affect mainly deciduous tree fruits, such as
•Apple
•Pear
•Stone fruits
•Most citrus fruits

-Most of these disorders affect discrete areas of tissue

- Some disorders may affect the skin of the produce but
leave the underlying flesh intact
- Others affect only certain areas of the flesh or the core
region
 Physiological Disorder
- dependent on a number of factors:

•Maturity at harvest
•Cultural practices
•Climate during the growing seasons
•Produce size
•Harvesting practices
Thank you
 Tutorial Question
1. Refer figure xy, what is
the type of physiological
disorder for this fruit?

2. If we prolong up to 7
days, explain the Figure xy.
biochemical mechanism Appearance of apple
after 1 day stored at
for this injury.
0 C.