The industrial conservation of fruits and vegetables is a challenge at an industrial level since each vegetable and fruit have its characteristics and requires a specific form of conservation and refrigeration to guarantee that they maintain their properties and their active metabolism. Today we are here to know how many days vegetables can be stored in cold storage? Let’s find out:
How many days vegetables can be stored in cold storage?
If you are wondering, how many days vegetables can be stored in cold storage? Well, in cold storage, you can store vegetables usually from 1 month to up to 12 months. Yes, we can store them for a long period and it will never go a wastage.
Climacteric and non-climacteric fruits and vegetables:
The fruits are classified as climacteric (they can continue to ripen once they have been separated from the plant) and non-climacteric (they only ripen on the plant. And therefore, must remain there until their optimum ripening point). To determine which type each fruit belongs to, it is observed whether the fruit in question naturally increases its ethylene production during its ripening process (climacteric) or if this level remains almost invariable during this process (non-climacteric).
As examples of climacteric fruits, we can mention apples, bananas, figs, pears, tomatoes… and as non-climacteric fruits: citrus, raspberry, grapes, pineapple, strawberry, cucumber, pepper…
This blog is also worth reading for you:– cold storage investment in india
The cold in the commercialization of fruits and vegetables:
There must be an adequate collection, handling, storage, and distribution of fruits and vegetables so that they reach the final consumer in perfect condition.
Refrigeration is the best system to keep these foods fresh and increase their shelf life. Therefore, investing in commercial refrigeration and industrial refrigeration:
- Delays maturation and senescence (aging of tissue cells).
- Prevents the attack of microorganisms.
- It minimizes the global quantitative and qualitative losses of the products.
Refrigeration is carried out in cold rooms in a controlled atmosphere, being ecological facilities if they use CO2, ammonia, and glycol as a refrigerant. These cold rooms control the temperature, humidity, circulation, and renewal of air.
In the case of climacteric fruits, before harvesting the fruit, the time of collection, transport, storage, and distribution is calculated, so it is collected well before its maturation, which will be completed later in cold rooms that ensure the appropriate conditions, until the time of its sale. For non-climacteric fruits, the time of collection, transport, storage, and distribution is calculated taking into account that the fruit must be on the plant until the optimum moment of ripening, as we have mentioned.
Therefore, the factors that must be controlled in the refrigeration of fruits and vegetables are temperature, relative humidity, and ventilation (air circulation).
This blog is also worth reading for you:– Who needs cold storage?
Cold room temperature:
Temperature affects fruits differently, depending on whether they are climacteric, delaying their ripening, or non-climacteric, delaying their deterioration.
A high temperature will damage your tissues and destroy their enzymatic activity. If the temperature rises above 40ºC or 60ºC respectively, it will cause unpleasant alcoholic flavors and changes in the texture of the fruits.
On the other hand, a low temperature, freezing or close to it, will also cause unpleasant alterations in the taste and tissue breakage.
To know more about how many days vegetables can be stored in cold storage, get in touch with us at Natural Storage Solutions Pvt.Ltd.
