Methods, Systems, and Devices for Improving Quality of Cherries Post-Harvest

Provided herein are methods, systems, and devices for improving the quality of fruit, for example, the quality of cherries. There are methods for improving shelf-life and methods for reducing splitting. The methods comprise applying a product or combination of products to the cherries post-harvest and prior to hydrocooling. Such products include sucrose ester based coatings, osmo-regulators, and/or antitranspirants. The systems for packing comprise: (a) picking cherries and placing the cherries into bins in the field; (b) applying a sucrose ester based coating, an osmo-regulator, or an antitranspirant to the cherries using a device configured to treat one or more cherry bins with a solution containing the sucrose ester based coating, an osmo-regulator, or an antitranspirant; (c) moving cherries through a hydrocooler; and (d) moving cherries into a warehouse and onto a packing line. 1. A method of prolonging the shelf life of cherries , the method comprising applying a product or combination of products to the cherries post-harvest and prior to hydrocooling.2. A method of prolonging the shelf life of cherries , the method comprising applying an osmo-regulator or antitranspirant to the cherries post-harvest and prior to hydrocooling.3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antitranspirant is selected from the group consisting of OptiCal™ or RainGard™.4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antitranspirant is di-1-p-menthene.5. The method of or claim 2 , wherein the applying is performed within 4 hours post-harvest.7. The system of claim 6 , wherein step (b) is performed within 4 hours post-harvest.8. A method of reducing splitting in cherries claim 6 , the method comprising applying a sucrose ester based coating to the cherries post-harvest and prior to hydrocooling.9. A method of reducing splitting in cherries claim 6 , the method comprising applying an osmo-regulator or antitranspirant to the cherries post-harvest and prior to hydrocooling.10. The method of claim 9 , ...