Damages of fruits and vegetable during storageCertain fruits and vegetables are damaged by storage at refrigerated temperatures. These crops develop a disorder known as chilling injury. Symptoms include failure to ripen (bananas and tomatoes), development of brown sunken areas known as pitting (cucumbers, melons, and organs), increased susceptibility to decay (beans and cucumbers) and off flavor development (tomatoes). In many cases, the evidence of chilling injury does not become apparent until the susceptible item is returned to a typical room temperature.
Although the cellular mechanism for chilling injury is not clear understood, most investigators attribute it to physical changes in the membrane lipids. Prevention of chilling injury is best achieved by not storing the item at refrigerated temperatures. For example, for best quality a banana or tomato should not be stored below 12.5 degrees C, either during distribution or within the home. Such a practice, however, accelerates normal deterioration of the product. Some evidence shows of that intermittent warming or cycling the storage temperature above and below critical chilling temperature for a product will extent its shelf life.Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage
