Control of bitter pit in apples with lecithin and calcium

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Abstract
The incidence of bitter pit in ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin' apples was halved when the apples were dipped after harvest in solutions containing 2.5% CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2. Addition of egg lecithin to the dips further reduced the incidence of the disorder (to less than one quarter of that in water-dipped controls). Lecithin addition also alleviated the damage often associated with calcium dips and improved control of two other physiological disorders, breakdown and water core. A dip containing lecithin alone was relatively ineffective. It is suggested that lecithin may assist the movement of applied calcium into apples.