In one aspect, the present invention provides methods for suppressing cracking, stem browning, and water loss in fruit or vegetables, such as cherries. The methods comprise applying to fruit or vegetables an amount of a wax emulsion effective to suppress cherry cracking, stem browning, and water loss. The wax emulsion used in the methods of the invention typically comprises a matrix of complex hydrocarbons, one or more emulsifying agents, and water. In some embodiments, the wax emulsion comprises from about 0.125% to about 25% (weight/weight) of carnauba wax, from about 0.1% to about 16% (weight/weight) of oleic acid, and from about 0.03% to about 6% (weight/weight) of morpholine, and from about 53% to about 99.7% (weight/weight) of water. In some embodiments, the wax emulsions further comprise one or more osmoregulators.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/424,392, filed Nov. 6, 2002, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/830,529, filed Jul. 30, 2001, which is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/US/99/25350, filed Oct. 26, 1999, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/106,059, filed Oct. 27, 1998.
