PostHarvest Technologies training

The flavour of fruits and vegetables is influenced by maturity and quality at harvest and by how they are stored afterwards. To maintain the freshness and flavour of the produce you buy at the market or grow in your garden, you should know how to store it at home. Many fruits and vegetables should be stored only at room temperature because refrigerator temperatures (usually 3.3° to 5.6°C [38° to 42°F]) damage them or prevent them from ripening to good flavour and texture. For example, when stored in the refrigerator, bananas develop black skin and do not gain good sweetness, and sweet potatoes take on off-flavours and a hardcore when cooked after being refrigerated.

Have you ever had to throw away fruits and vegetables just because they didn’t look edible anymore? Most of us get a little carried away at the store and buy more than we can eat, often getting enticed by “buy 2 get 1 free” type deals that only end up being a wasteful practice, especially when you don’t store them properly. If this is the case with you, there are ways to make your food stay fresh and crisp longer.

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is healthy, but care must be taken to be sure fruits and vegetables do not become contaminated with harmful bacteria. In just the United States, one in four people suffers from foodborne illnesses each year. Some of these illnesses have been traced to eating raw fruits or vegetables.