ABSTRACT
Reduction in market quality impacts consumer acceptability. Return sales may be reduced and consumers may not be willing to pay as high a price for lower quality. Gamma rays from a cobalt 60 source were applied to egg and larval infestations of oriental fruit fly, melon fly, and Mediterranean fruit fly in several Hawaii-grown fruits and vegetables to determine fly mortality and the effect on quality. Individual commodities will respond differently to the physical and chemical stresses imposed by quarantine treatments. Regulatory agencies and industry need to know not only the potential efficacy of the treatment, but also the effect of treatments on the condition and quality of commodities. When developing an inspection procedure that considers the influence of a quarantine treatment on the condition and quality of a particular commodity, one must be familiar with those attributes that are distinctive to that commodity.
