Effects of cold storage temperatures on postharvest quality of South African golden kiwifruit

The study investigated the effects of cold storage temperatures on the quality of kiwifruit harvested over different maturity stages. The golden kiwifruit cultivars (‘Skelton’ and ‘Soreli’) were harvested from Mpumalanga (South Africa). The fruits were separated into early, mid, and late harvested kiwifruits. Fruits were subjected to cold storage conditions at 0 and 2°C (90-95% relative humidity) for 2 months, followed by a shelf life period at ambient conditions (22-25°C) for 7 days. The experimental design used in the study was a randomised complete design (RCD). Fruits were sampled at harvest, after cold storage, and end of shelf life for firmness, dry matter (DM), soluble solids content (SSC), and titratable acidity (TA). The results showed a significant (p<0.001) difference between cultivars, maturity stages and temperature for firmness, SSC, and TA. Fruits stored at 2°C are softer than fruits stored at 0°C. The fruits also accumulated more SSC than fruits stored at 0°C. The postharvest performance showed that mid-harvested fruits had a better quality. The results indicate that kiwifruits stored at 0°C performed better with higher quality fruits than fruits stored at 2°C.