The firmness of the fruit flesh was
measured with an Effegi penetrometer (Alfonsine, Italy) fitted with
an 11.1 mm tip. The soluble solid concentration (SCC) was determined
using a hand-held refractometer (Model HRT 32, Krüss
Optronic, Hamburg, Germany) at 20 C. Afterward, the apple core
was removed with a core borer and the apples were parted in 6mm
slices. The used Braeburn apple slices had an average initial surface
area of 39.9 cm2.