The postharvest life of blueberry fruits was 9-25 days depending on the cultivar when stored at +5 degrees C. A wide range of varietal differences in the shelf life of blueberry fruits indicates a substantial genotypic diversity. The keeping quality of berries in plastic containers was determined by loss consisting mainly of the natural loss of weight and, to a lesser extent, of waste from physiological disorders and rots. The fruits of the late-ripening cultivars lose mass more slowly during storage and thus have a longer storage capacity. The climatic conditions (particularly precipitation) during the growth and ripening of blueberries also had a significant impact on their postharvest life. In case of regular precipitation or when the rainy weather alternates with dry weather, the berries could be stored more than two times longer than after the onset of the rainy weather after a drought period. Reducing of the storage temperature of +22 degrees C to +5 degrees C helped to increase the postharvest life of blueberry fruits 2.9-3.6 times, depending on the cultivar. The conservation of high blueberry fruits was also impacted by the method of packaging. The use of sealed packaging (plastic film) for the storage of fruits in low relative humidity helped to protect the fruit from the loss of mass, to keep the consumer appeal, and as a result to increase the postharvest life 1.7-2.6 times.
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