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Dear Readers,
In this pamphlet we bring you a
collection of suggestions and advice
on how to correctly preserve fruits
and vegetables in your home, based on
the results of the vast body of research
carried out in the Department of
Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce,
the Volcani Center, Agricultural
Research Organization, Bet Dagan.
The topic of
preservation of
agricultural produce is more pressing
than ever as studies in the last few years
from all over the world have shown that
more than a third of all agricultural
produce goes to waste and is disposed
of after harvest, resulting in a waste
of energy and valuable resources.
Moreover, it has been found that in the
developed Western world, most of the
food losses occur in the consumers'
home (known as food waste) due to
excess purchases and improper storage.
Th e s h e l v e s o f
our markets and
supermarkets are laden
with a wide variety of
fruits and vegetables
of various species and
varieties including
deciduous fruit (apples,
pears, grapes), stone fruit
(peaches, plumes, apricots),
subtropical fruit (citrus,
avocado), tropical fruit
(banana, mango), leafy
vegetables (lettuce, herbs),
fruit vegetables (tomatoes,
melons, watermelon),
onions and root vegetables
(onion, garlic, potatoes,
carrots, yams, radishes)
and more.
I n t h i s p u b l i c at i o n
prepared by researchers
of the Department of
Postharvest Science of
Fresh Produce, The Volcani
C enter, Agricultural
Research Organization,
Bet Dagan, we detail how to
choose fruits and vegetables
and how to optimally
preserve them in ones
home so as to prevent
waste and to conserve
their internal and external
qualities thus providing
the consumer with tasty
and nutritious fruits and
vegetables.
possible.
When slicing fruits and
vegetables one should
avoid any contact with
meat or dairy products
in order to prevent the
transfer of contaminants.
Therefore, it is preferable
to use separate cutting
boards for meat and dairy
products and for fresh
fruits and vegetables.
The most imp or t ant
factor in preser ving
produce quality in the
consumers home is to
choose the appropriate
storage temperature. This
is because low temperatures
slow down ripening and
ageing, however, fruits
and vegetables differ in
their sensitivity to cold. In
other words, some fruits
and vegetables such as
apples, pears, strawberry,
grapes, carrots and lettuce,
are cold tolerant and so
can be stored at very low
temperatures of about
0-2C; whereas some fruits
and vegetables such as
citrus, avocado, peppers,
tomatoes and cucumbers
are just partially resistant
to chill and therefore it
is best to store them at
temperatures of 5-8C;
and then there are fruits
and vegetables of tropical
origin, mainly bananas and
yams, that are very sensitive
to cold and so they should
be stored at relatively high
temperatures above 14C.
In addition, there are
some root crops such as
onions, garlic and potatoes
that are best stored in a
dry pantry and not in a
refrigerator.
S p e c i f i c
recommendations
for storing different
fruits and vegetables
Tomato
In general, tomatoes dont
do well at low storage
temperatures. When
stored in the refrigerator
at low temperatures, chill
damages occur, which
are manifested as black
spots that appear on the
skin. The optimal storage
temperature for ripe red or
orange tomatoes is 12C.
The maximum storage
time for ripe red tomatoes
in the refrigerator is one
week.
Unripe tomatoes (ranging
in color from green-orange
Melon
Choosing the right melon
at the time of purchase will
significantly influence its
quality, and how long it
will last. If we are talking
about a melon such as
Galia (round type) one
should choose it according
to several parameters:
one must examine the
condition of the fruit
skin networking, where
it is recommended to
choose a melon whose
skin exhibits a full grid.
In terms of skin color, it
is best to choose a slightly
yellow melon with a tint
of green, but not orange.
Fruit smell is also important
a melon with a very
strong aroma is a
melon with an aftertaste
and shorter shelf life.
Additionally, you can
shake the melon a bit to
see if it sounds watery.
If you hear this sound it
means that the seeds of
the melon have collapsed,
suggesting the fruit is not
good.
When it comes at the oval
type 'Pineapple' (spring
melons), an orange rind is
actually indicative of fruit
quality. In this type of melon
at low temperatures of
12-14C.
You should not keep
them in the refrigerator
for over a week, and
it is best to buy them
when youre going to
use them.
One should remove the
flowers that are connected
to the zucchini before
putting them in the
refrigerator.
Strawberries
Strawberries will keep
in the refrigerator for
several days, depending
on the season. In the first
half of the harvest season
(winter) the fruit is usually
characterized by the ability
to be reasonably preserved,
so you can keep it in the
fridge for a few days to a
week. In the spring, with
a rise in temperatures, the
strawberry is more likely
to suffer decay, and in
addition to Botrytis that
attacks the strawberry in
all seasons, the common
mold, Rhizopus also
appears during the hot
season. During this period,
the strawberry will not last
more than two or three
days in the refrigerator.
it is advisable to wash
the dirty part only (not
the leaves), cut below the
onion bulb, dry well and
return it to the packaging.
Tip 1 - When the plastic
bag is open from the top,
the leave tips will begin to
dry out. A simple solution:
Cut off about 10 cm of the
leaves at the top and close
the bag with a rubber band.
Tip 2 - You can better save
the quality of the onion
by wrapping it in a paper
towel and returning it
to its plastic bag, which
should be closed with a
rubber band. The paper will
absorb the excess moisture
that causes leaf decay.
Broccoli
Broccoli is essentially a
winter crop, but today
varieties exist that can
be grown almost all year
round. This vegetable has
a very high nutritional
value, since in addition to
being rich in vitamins A
and C, minerals and fiber;
it also contains high levels
of antioxidants and cancer
preventives, a phenomenon
well-documented in
the scientific literature.
Therefore, it is ver y
important to maintain
its quality. Broccoli may be
stored well for over a month
if it is stored at 0C, but in
the household refrigerator
it tends to turn yellow and
rot within a few days. The
yellowing is due to the
breakdown of chlorophyll,
the green pigment, as
well as the opening the
yellow bracts of the
flowering buds that are the
broccoli Coles (" blossom
", botanical definition).
In some supermarkets
you can find high-quality
broccoli packaged in
bags developed in the
Volcani Center (ARO), as
indicated on the bag. These
bags contain a suitable
atmosphere, which means a buildup of gaseous carbon
dioxide (CO2), created
naturally by respiration
of the vegetable which
is accompanied by a
decrease in the oxygen
concentration. As a result of
these changes in the levels
of the gases in the closed
bag, the processes of aging
and decay are slowed down
and the nutritional value
of vegetables maintained.
Apples
There are studies that prove
that apples contribute to
good health, but the level
of the natural beneficial
materials decreases during
storage in all types of
apples. Apples are usually
stored in packing plants
for up to a year, so when
we buy apples we do not
know how long they have
been in storage. So, it is
best to buy apples in the
fall, except the variety
Ana that is harvested in
the summer during June
and July. We all love to eat
a crisp apple, so to avoid
the aging and softening of
the fruit one should keep
them at a low temperature
i n t h e r e f r i g e r at o r,
preferably packed in
a sealed plastic bag to
avoid weight loss. Overall,
you can preserve the
high quality of apples in
the refrigerator for ten
days. You should eat the
apple with the skin after
washing with water. It is
also advisable to avoid
leaving a cut apple in the
fridge since they are prone
to brown quickly; and if
nevertheless someone
wants to do so it is desirable
to splash several drops of
juiciness. Therefore,
it is recommended to
buy peaches until the
end of September, and
if purchased later it is
recommended to taste
the fruit before buying.
Varieties appearing at the
beginning of the season
usually soften within two
to three days at room
temperature, while lateseason peaches become
tender only after five to
eight days. To enjoy the
full juiciness of a peach
one should eat it when it
is soft, because then its
aroma is most pleasing.
All in all, when buying
peaches early in the
season (April-May) you
should put them in the
refrigerator and they will
keep for up to a week and
soften properly. On the
other hand, when buying
peaches and nectarines at
the end of the season, they
should first be left out of
the fridge for a few days
until they begin to soften
before putting them in
the refrigerator.
Plums
Different varieties of plums
are grown in Israel and
Dozens of potato
varieties are marketed
in Israel. The color of
the peel (red or yellow)
is not indicative of its
suitability for frying or
cooking, and consumer
organizations should
put pressure on retailers
to label the species as has
been done with apples so
that the consumer can
continue to purchase the
potato variety with the
taste and texture that he
prefers.
Carrots
Carrots are thickened
taproots (tubers) with
a crown from which a
flowering stem emerges.
Carrots reaching markets
undergo a process of
clipping (removal of leaves)
and brushing to remove
the outer tissue (peeling)
in order to improve its
orange appearance. As a
result of removal the outer
tissue (peeling), the tuber
tends to rapidly lose liquids
and go through a process
called silvering (formation
of silver wounds or scabs).
For this reason carrots are
packed in bags with
holes and it is advisable
to store them this way
in the refrigerator at a
temperature of 1-2C.
Under these conditions
carrots can be preserved
for relatively long times
as compared to other
vegetables.
Onions
Onions are food storage
organs growing in the soil.
The bulb (the hard part at
the bottom of the onion
plant) is a shortened stem
from which fleshy leaves
emerge, these are the scales
that during plant growth
turn into real green leaves.
Onions are the poorest
looking vegetables in
markets, mainly due to
improper harvest and
storage. This is reflected
in multiple skins and
quick germination at the
consumer's home. In recent
years, the Department
of Postharvest Science
of Fresh Produce of
the Volcani Center has
developed a process to
stabilize onion peels so
they wont peel when
marketed and to enhance
their storage capacity.
Therefore, we expect to be
able to market onions in the