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- Author or Editor: Ella Lomeniec x
- Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science x
Abstract
Changes in air composition of the citrus storage atmosphere and of the internal atmosphere of the fruit as affected by the ventilation rate were studied using 1 grapefruit and 2 orange cultivars. These changes were examined in relation to fruit weight loss, ethanol content of the juice, and rot development during storage periods of up to 5 months. Rates of ventilation affected the CO2 concentrations more than the O2 levels of both the external and internal atmospheres of the fruit. In small-scale tests, ventilation rates as low as 10%·hr−1 of the empty volume of the storage space did not cause major changes in the gas composition, nor did they effect fruit quality adversely. In commercial tests, however, an increased rate of ventilation (70% to 100%·hr−1) was needed to reach similar results. On the basis of this information we recommend reducing the ventilation rate in commercial citrus storage rooms from 150% or 200%·hr−1, the rate now commonly employed, to 100%·hr−1. This reduced ventilation rate will help lower costs of refrigeration, while maintaining good fruit quality.