‘CONCORDE’ PEAR FLAVOR, TEXTURE, AND STORAGE QUALITY IMPROVED BY MANIPULATING HARVEST MATURITY

'Concorde' pears can be harvested over a reasonable period of time (10 to 14 days) with no loss in quality and can be stored in either regular atmosphere (RA) or controlled atmosphere (CA) storage. The ten-day delay resulted in no change in firmness but did enhance SS and fruit size. Regardless of harvest time, 'Concorde' pears can be stored in RA for periods not to exceed 90 days. Early harvest should be considered when RA storage is expected to exceed 90 days; however, astringency may develop in the fruit. Regardless of harvest, 'Concorde' pears can be placed in CA storage for periods of 90 days with no serious quality losses, particularly if the CA is maintained at 1.5% O₂ & 1.0% CO₂. Low oxygen CA (1.0% O₂ and <0.1% CO₂) at –1°C is not recommended.