Chilling injury is completely different to freezing injury (which results when ice crystals form in plant tissues at temperatures below their freezing point).
Chilling injury affects many fruits and vegetables. Most crops of tropical and subtropical origin are sensitive to chilling injury. Some crops of Temperate Zone origin are also susceptible.
The first unified theory to explain chilling injury was founded low temperature-induce changes in the properties of cell membranes due to changes in the physical state of membrane lipids (membrane phase change).
Others have postulated that chilling injury results from the direct effect of reduced temperatures on enzymes or the indirect effect of membrane perturbations on intrinsic enzymes.
Chilling injury is manifested in many different symptoms including loss of flavor, mealiness, flesh browning, leatheriness, and flesh bleeding. Key factors that influence the susceptibility/ tolerance to chilling injury include genetics, horticultural factors, harvest maturity, and postharvest storage practices.
Pitting, circular or irregular-shaped pits on the fruit surface, is the most common form of CI and the first chilling injury symptom in many tropical horticultural commodities.
Chilling injury
