Fresh food shelf-life improvement by humidity regulation in domestic refrigeration

Abstract

Air humidity plays a vital role in domestic refrigerators, with direct impact in water loss. The water loss is an adverse result in postharvest condition once food can no longer replace water. However, food products are normally submitted to improper refrigeration conditions. For this reason, this study evaluates the fresh food quality (mushrooms and crispy lettuce) stored in the crisper compartment from a domestic refrigerator. Two tests were performed by oscillating the relative humidity (high and lower level). Mass loss, total color difference and sensorial analysis were conducted in order to determine the food quality during 14 days of storage. Results presented improved preservation from the mushrooms and crispy lettuce when relative humidity high was kept, inside the crisper compartment. Briefly, these results can support the development of new domestic refrigeration projected with improved preservation technologies.