Comparison of breadfruit (<i>Artocarpus altilis</i>) fruit quality following a range of fruit fly disinfesting hot air treatments

Breadfruit (<i>Artocarpus altilis</i>) is a tropical fruit tree that grows abundantly in many Pacific Islands and is an important starch source. Breadfruit is a fruit fly host and, therefore, requires high temperature forced air (HTFA) treatment before entering New Zealand, whereby the centre of the fruit is raised to 47.2°C and held for 20 min. Anecdotal evidence suggests that breadfruit can be damaged after HTFA treatment, particularly in the ‘hot-spot’ of an HTFA chamber, where the centre of breadfruit can experience higher temperatures for a longer time, while waiting for fruit in the ‘cold-spot’ to reach the target temperature/time conditions. Recent research suggests less severe hot air treatments were sufficient to eliminate fruit fly risk, but no data are available about whether these treatments improved fruit quality. This study assessed the fruit quality of two breadfruit cultivars following four hot air treatments, i.e. the current approved treatment compared with three less severe treatments. Breadfruit exposed to the less severe treatments had better fruit quality, but this was not statistically significant from the approved treatment. A less severe treatment would ensure that breadfruit can then tolerate temperature conditions in the ‘hot-spots’ of a commercial HTFA chamber.