STORAGE LIFE AND QUALITY OF BLACKBERRY FRUIT WHEN HELD AT TEMPERATURES GREATER THAN 1C
The storage life of blackberry fruit is generally `2 to 3 days when stored at 1C. This study was done to determine the maximum storage life among erect blackberry cultivars, and to determine storage temperature effects on storage life. Shiny black fruit from `Navaho', `Arapaho', and `Shawnee' cultivars were stored at 2C, 5C, or 10C for 20, 14, and 7 days, respectively. At any temperature. only 10-20% of `Navaho' fruit had decay, while 30-50% of `Arapaho' and 40-70% of `Shawnee' fruit had decay. Weight loss was 3-5% depending on temperature and was not different among cultivars. Soluble solids concentration did not change during storage but titratable acidity decreased in all cultivars for fruit held at all temperatures. Anthocyanin content increased during storage in `Shawnee' and `Navaho' but not in `Arapaho' fruit. Results indicate that `Navaho' fruit have a longer shelflife than other blackberry cultivars.