Chapter 18.

Subtropical fruits: Melons

Manuel Madrid
Fruit Profits, Valencia, Spain

Quality characteristics

Galia Piel de sapo Western shipper

Amarillo Charentais Branco/honeydew

There are many cultivars of melon (Cucumis melo L.) and availability is depen-
dent upon the geographical region and historical preferences.
The image shows examples of melon types marketed in Europe and North
America. There are many different types of melons with markedly differing fla-
vor, texture, and appearance characteristics, and the popularity of any given
variety is highly dependent on country of origin. Consumers prefer local types
in general.

Controlled and Modified Atmospheres for Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804599-2.00033-8
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456 PART II CA/MA requirements and recommendations for fresh and fresh-cut fruits

In Europe, the most common types of melons consumed are as follows:

l Galia (netted skin and green flesh, round),
l Yellow (yellow skin and white flesh, oval),
l Piel de sapo (green shell and white flesh, oval),
l Sugar Baby (yellow skin and orange flesh, oval).
In North America, the most common types of melons are as follows:
l Honeydew (green skin and green flesh, round),
l Cantaloupe (netted skin and orange flesh, round),
l Orange flesh (green striped skin and orange flesh, round).
Each of these types behaves very differently in terms of shelf life, recommended
temperature, and ideal storage conditions. It is important to observe the individ-
ual recommendations per melon type.
Main quality characteristics:
l Skin: In nonnetted melon types, the skin must be smooth and shiny, without
bumpy texture. In striped varieties, the stripe must be clearly defined and
uniform on the whole surface of the fruit.
l Net: In the netted varieties (North American cantaloupe and Galia) the net
must be well formed, clean, not damaged, light in color. The space between
the net must be clean, without brown or dark areas.
l Shape: In the round types, the shape must be round without bumps or sunken
areas. In the oval types, the shape must be oval and symmetrical.
l External color: Surface should be clean without dark areas. Areas between
nets should be clean and light in color, never brown or dark.

Type of melon Skin color

Yellow Intense yellow with no green reflections
Galia Pale yellow, with no green tonality
EU Cantaloupe Grayish green background, dark green stripes
Piel de sapo Dark green background, with black reflections
Sugar Baby Bright yellow, no dark areas
Honeydew Light green, no dark or brownish spots
N. Am. Cantaloupe Well developed net, pale yellow or orange
Orange flesh Grayish green background, dark green stripes

l Internal quality: Juicy flesh that gives off juice when bitten, crunchy,
and not jellylike. Aromatic. No off-flavors. Not under ripe (cucumber taste).
Minimum
sugar
Type of melon (°Brix) Flesh colour
Yellow 10 Pale yellow/ whitish
Sugar Baby Gold 13 Light orange
Continued
 Subtropical fruits: Melons Chapter 18.8 457

Minimum
sugar
Type of melon (°Brix) Flesh colour
Galia 10 (extra sweet Light green at the border to yellow
 12) next to the seeds (center)
EU Cantaloupe 12 (extra sweet Deep orange
 14)
Piel de sapo 12 White / Very pale green/light
mber
Honeydew 10 Light green, waxy
N. Am. Cantaloupe 11 Light orange
Orange flesh 11 Deep orange

l Appearance: Free from pests, diseases, cuts, and scars. Free from moisture
and foreign smell and taste. Free from any foreign matter. Absence of
finger marks.
l Peduncle: The peduncle or stem-end should be green, with fresh appearance
and without dehydrations, and not longer than 1 cm.
l Taste: Melons should be picked ripe; failure to do so will result in
dull tasting fruit. The choice of variety is important when considering
taste.

Main causes of quality loss

There are several causes of quality loss in melons:
l Physical damage during picking and handling in the field: Commercial
melons are hand-picked in the field and directly packed into crates or lugs.
Handling should be very careful. Too much pressure while picking will
result in damaged skin. Drops and bumps should be assiduously avoided.
Use padded materials on the sides and bottom of bins. Avoid piling too high
in field container when collecting melons and transporting to the packing
station.
l Exposure to sunlight: Melon should never be exposed to direct sunlight after
picking. Keep bins in a shaded place while waiting for transport to the cold
storage facility.
l Wet fruit from the field (from dew or rain): Melon should always be har-
vested dry. Sometimes melons are wet due to dew or recent rain. In that case,
harvest should be postponed until melons are dry. In some countries, melons
are grown under plastic tunnels (a.k.a. ’hoops’). In this case, dryness of the
fruit and sanitation are improved as well as earliness.
l Poor field sanitation: The level of decay pathogen inoculum in the field
should be kept low by removing damaged and decayed fruit, and spraying
with authorized fungicides only, respecting reentry periods and manufacturer
labels. Failure to do so will result in high incidence of postharvest diseases.
458 PART II CA/MA requirements and recommendations for fresh and fresh-cut fruits

l Delays in cooling: Melon should be cooled to their optimum temperature

within 4-6 hours of picking. Failure to do so will result in reduced shelf life
and higher presence of mold in storage.
l Cold chain interruptions: The cold chain of melons should be maintained at
all times. Failure to maintain cold chain in precooled melons will result in
condensation of ambient moisture on the skin, causing severe proliferation
of fungi and skin stains.
l Chilling injury: Melons should never be stored below the recommended
temperature (see below). They are very sensitive to chilling injury. Symp-
toms of chilling injury in melons are sunken areas, dark stains in skin, and
fungal growth.
l Fertilization and its effect on melon quality: Fertilization has a significant
impact on melon quality and shelf life.
 Calcium content: Applying weekly soluble, systemic calcium appli-
cations during the growth of the melon helps improve skin and flesh
firmness, shelf life, and shine.
 Nitrogen content: Avoid high nitrogen fertilization during flowering
and fruiting as it is detrimental to fruit quality and shelf life.
 Potassium content: Potassium fertilization during fruit growth helps to
improve fruit quality and sweetness.

Optimum storage conditions

Optimum storage temperature (°C) varies depending on melon type:
European melon types:
l Galia: 7°C

l Yellow: 8–10°C

l Cantaloupe: 8–10°C
l Piel de sapo: 14–16°C

l Sugar Baby: 8–10°C

North American melon types:

l Honeydew: 8–10°C
l Cantaloupe: 3–4°C

l Orange flesh: 7°C

Melon should be cooled down to the optimum temperature within 4–6 h after
harvest. Hydrocooling or forced air cooling is the most common cooling
method. To avoid risk of damaging the fruit, cooling tunnel temperature set-
point should always be set at the recommended temperature, because thermo-
stats usually present a temperature oscillation.
If hydrocooling is used, melons should be free of moisture after cooling,
using cold air fans to remove all moisture
 Subtropical fruits: Melons Chapter 18.8 459

Relative humidity should be 85%–90%. Avoid condensation and free mois-

ture on the surface of the melon, free moisture on the skin stains the melon and
promotes fungus growth.

CA/MA considerations
Melons react well to modified atmospheres for shelf life extension. Atmo-
spheres of 2%–3% O2 help extend the shelf life of the product. Additionally
to low O2, an atmosphere rich in CO2 (10%) helps prevent fungal growth.
However, CA is not commonly used for short travel distances because the ben-
efits do not justify the costs when the duration of transport is short. Also MA
bags have not been extensively used due to condensation problems. MA is used
as a standard procedure in South America for shipment melons to Europe. The
most common bags are nylon-based microperforated bags. They provide a fair
moisture barrier and minimize condensation. However, they do not provide all
the benefits of low O2 or high CO2.
This MAP system is not used in Europe or other continents on a regular
basis, due to the proximity of the production areas to the market and the short
postharvest interval.

Benefits and injuries of CA/MA control

Melons rarely develop CA injury, because CA is not extensively used. Disease,
dehydration, and overmaturity are more common problems and related symp-
toms typically show up before CA injury can be observed.

Problems under suboptimal conditions

Mold: Melons being grown on the ground are very susceptible to a variety of
fungal infections. The most common postharvest disease organisms causing
decay of melon are Fusarium, Rhizopus, Botrytis, and Alternaria (Snowdon,
1990). It is essential to keep good sanitation and low inoculum in the field.
It is also essential to avoid condensation on the fruit following harvest.
Blossom-end rot: softening of the blossom end of the melon. It is caused by a
calcium deficiency and is exacerbated by hot and humid growing conditions.
Regular use of foliar calcium sprays prevents this problem.
Chilling injury: Melons are very susceptible to chilling injury. Storage at
temperatures below the recommended temperatures induces rots, sunken areas,
and brownish skin spots. These symptoms appear more rapidly when the melons
are displayed at elevated temperatures (i.e., ambient or room) at retail.
Sunscald: Exposing the melons to direct sunlight for a long period causes
bronzing or browning of skin. It is very important to maintain adequate canopy
foliage to protect growing melons. Harvested melons should be held in the
shade prior to transport from the field.
460 PART II CA/MA requirements and recommendations for fresh and fresh-cut fruits

Comments
It is key to harvest melons at the proper maturity to achieve high sugars and
flavor. Do not harvest immature fruit. Gentle handling at harvest, prompt cool-
ing, transportation at optimum temperature per type of melon, and sanitation in
the field are the keys to successful storage and distribution. Avoiding moisture
on the melon surface is key for shelf life and quality preservation.

References
Snowdon, A., 1990. A color atlas of post-harvest diseases. Volume 1. General introduction and
fruits. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Further reading
Gross, K.C., Wang, C.Y., Saltveit, M.E., 2016. The commercial storage of fruits, vegetables, and
florist and nursery stocks. Agriculture Handbook Number 66, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, DC. http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/234-2927.pdf.

Photos

Open air melon stand in Costa Rica—subject to high ambient temperatures.

Melons should be stored and displayed in a cool environment.
 Subtropical fruits: Melons Chapter 18.8 461

Galia melons. For good quality melons, and especially netted melons, sanitation
in the field is essential. Good field drainage and preventing contact with sur-
faces having free moisture are keys to disease- and defect-free melons.
A good balance between foliage and fruit avoids sunburn.