Reduction of Chilling Injury in Zucchini Squash by Temperature Management

Prestorage temperature conditioning of zucchini squash ( Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Ambassador) at 10 or 15C was effective in delaying the onset of chilling injury (surface pitting) during storage at 2.5 or 5.0C. Intermittent warming in cycles of 2 days of chilling followed by 1 day at 20C was also effective in minimizing surface pitting. One-half of the preconditioned squash stored at 5C still was marketable 16 days after harvest, as compared to only 8 days for the chilled control. Due to its simplicity, temperature preconditioning may have potential to become a commercially important technique for extending the shelf life of zucchini squash.