Changes in composition during ripening and storage of melons

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The shipment of various kinds of melons from the western states to eastern cities has become an important item in the produce industry during recent years. Because of the distance from producing regions to the larger markets, most of these melons are harvested and shipped in a more or less immature condition. Practices in harvesting and shipping should be established to yield the most satisfactory results fromthe standpoint of both shipper and consumer. Aside from some investigations with cantaloupes, little work has yet been done to establish rational methods for harvesting and handling of melons. Hence a detailed study has been undertaken at the University Farm, Davis, of the changes in composition and in quality of the leading types of melons, both in fruit ripening naturally on the plant, and in fruit harvested more or less immature and stored under different conditions.

Of the factors influencing quality of melons from the consumer’s point of view, sweetness is probably most important. This may be affected both by the amount of sugars present, and by the kinds of sugars. The texture is also important, for palatibility is partly determined by the degree of softness and the juciness of the flesh. From the shipper’s standpoint, firmness is most important, for it determines the physieal limits of shipping range and market handling.