Experimental investigation of hypobaric storage effect on freshness-keeping of strawberries

Abstract

In this study, post-harvested strawberry shoots were stored for 15 d under various hypobaric conditions (10, 30, and 101 kPa), along with a control group, to investigate the effects of hypobaric storage on strawberry freshness. The vitamin C content, water loss, titratable acid content, and respiration rate of the fruit were also monitored. The results showed that the strawberries subjected to the 30 kPa treatment exhibited the lowest water loss, measured at only 1.73 %. By contrast, the control group exhibited the highest water loss, reaching 21.4 %. Furthermore, the 30 kPa hypobaric treatment resulted in a 40.4 % lower respiratory rate and higher titratable acid and vitamin C contents than those of the control fruits. Hypobaric storage inhibited ethylene production and, reduced the rate of O2 production. Similarly, the decline in titratable acid and vitamin C contents was inhibited. These results indicate that hypobaric storage technology can better preserve the nutrients and quality of strawberries, suggesting that hypobaric storage could be a suitable method for increasing the shelf-life of strawberries.