Fresh haskap berry postharvest quality characteristics and storage life

Abstract

Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a relatively new berry crop in North America, and little research exists regarding its postharvest storage characteristics or storage life. Postharvest changes in berry quality, and principal factors limiting storage life at 1.1 °C and 95% relative humidity, were evaluated up to 14 days for three cultivars in 2019 and up to 28 days for six cultivars in 2020. Containerized berries were periodically assessed for soluble solids content (SSC), skin rupture force (SRF) (both 2019 and 2020) and flesh firmness, titratable acidity (TA), and Brix/acid ratio (B/A) (2020 only). External appearance was also evaluated both years, revealing berry shrivel as the primary factor negatively impacting visual appeal, followed distantly by low incidence of spoilage later in storage. All cultivars exhibited relatively constant postharvest SSC and decreasing SRF, flesh firmness, and TA (resulting in increasing B/A ratio). Postharvest quality differed slightly between years; relative SRF was consistent among cultivars while SSC was not. Some cultivars had a portion of shriveled berries at harvest, pointing to a need for cultivar-specific harvest indices. Mean days to slight shrivel for individual berries varied among cultivars evaluated, ranging from 7.5–21.9 d postharvest, with mean weight loss ranging from 1.2%–1.6% at this stage. Combined with group marketability estimates — set at a threshold of 10% severely shriveled berries — we estimate a storage life of 7–10 d for fresh haskaps. Additional research is needed to delineate maturation physiology and optimize harvest timing.