The transpiration and respiration as mechanisms of water loss in cold storage of figs

Abstract

Transpiration and respiration are two mechanisms of water loss in fresh agricultural products, resulting in visual and texture degradation. Neglecting respiration as a mechanism of water loss may lead to erroneous results at saturation where water vapour pressure deficit is zero and thus water loss is expected to be zero, however, the existence of a finite water loss is noted. In this context, an analysis of the associated with transpiration and respiration water loss in figs (Ficus carica L.) was carried out at 0oC, 10oC and 20oC and 45.64%, 80.22% and 98.65% relative humidity as well as the air conditions of walk-in cold storage rooms. The estimated transpiration rate ranged between 0.11-1.416 mg cm-2 h -1 for a water vapour pressure deficit of 0.0-0.98 kPa. The water vapour pressure deficit estimation was based on the difference between cold air temperature and figs’ surface temperature. The respiration rate was calculated at 0oC, 10oC and 20oC as 0.47±0.08, 0.94±0.11 and 2.69±0.17 mLCO2100g-1 h -1 . Quantification of the water loss showed that at 20oC and saturation, the water loss due to respiration accounts for 3.9% of the respective water loss due to water vapour pressure deficit while on average, the water loss due to respiration accounts for 1.5%, 2.1% and 2.6% of the water loss due to water vapour pressure deficit at 0oC, 10oC and 20oC.