EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE, DURATION OF COLD STORAGE AND PACKAGING ON POSTHARVEST QUALITY OF STRAWBERRY FRUIT

摘要

Fruits of the strawberry cultivars Fern, Brighton and Selva were used in tests conducted during 1991 to evaluate their postharvest quality during cold storage and shelf - life.The fruits were stored at 3, 6 or 20 °C for various durations of storage for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 days covered with plastic film or uncovered. Fruit firmness, weight, colour (L*, a*, b*) and titratable acidity decreased during storage, pH, soluble solids and a*/b* ratio increased, while ascorbic acid content did not change significantly. Storage for 4 days at 3 °C did not affect fruit quality significantly, while storage for 6 days resulted in softening of the fruit and increased the fruit weight loss. After 8 days in storage, fruits were unmarketable. Wrapping the fruits with plastic film reduced significantly the weight loss at either temperature 3 or 6 °C, compared to the uncovered fruits. Temperature affected significantly the weight loss of the uncovered fruits at any temperature tested.