Ideal Preserving Of Fruit & Vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables are living tissues, Although no longer associated with the plant. Breathe, as do the people, and the composition and physiology of them continue to change after harvest. Continue to ripen and, end, begin to die. Cell division and death (Aging) It is inevitable, but it can be slowed with the optimal storage conditions.
Fresh fruits and vegetables need low temperatures (0 up to 12 °C) and high relative humidity (80 – 95%) to reduce breathing and slow metabolism and transpiration rates. With slowing these processes, reduces water loss and kept the value of food, the quality and energy stocks.
Relative humidity
Breathing rates (water loss from the production) determined by the moisture content of the air, usually expressed as relative humidity. With high relative humidity, the products maintain weight, show, nutritional quality and taste, While reduced o wilting.
The leafy vegetables with high surface to volume ratios. injured product; and immature fruits and vegetables have higher transpiration rates. External factors affecting rates of breathing is the temperature, the relative humidity, the speed of the wind and atmospheric pressure. High temperatures, low relative humidity and high air velocity increase breathing rates.
The relative humidity must be monitored and controlled during storage. To monitor the humidity hygrometer should be used or psychrometro Sling, not the product appearance. The verification may be accomplished by a variety of methods.
Temperature
Respiration and metabolism rates are directly related to the room temperatures within a given range. The higher the respiration rate, the faster becomes the deterioration of production. Lower temperatures slow down respiration and ripening processes and aging, which extends the storage life of fruit and vegetables. The low temperatures slow down the development of pathogenic fungi that cause storage of fruits and vegetables.
Producers need to give special attention and care to the appropriate storage conditions for products with high to extremely high breathing rate – these crops are more sensitive. It is impossible to make a single recommendation for cool storage of all fruits and vegetables.
The climate of the area from which the crop, the part of the plant, the season of harvesting and ripening of crops at harvest time are important factors for determining the optimal temperature. A general rule for vegetables is that cool season crops must be kept at colder temperatures (0 up to 2 °C) and the hot season crops must be kept in warmer temperatures (7 up to 12 °C)
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