Background to the study
The display of fruit and vegetables in stores, with a view to selling them to consumers, is the final stage in the logistics circuit. Their appearance and commercial quality must be optimal to trigger the act of purchase. However, conventional environmental conditions are poorly suited to the needs of most fresh fruit and vegetables: the temperature is high, around 20°C; humidity is low, averaging 40-50% relative humidity, and they are exposed to intense light. To maintain the quality of fruit and vegetables, a range of equipment, such as refrigerated cabinets, has been developed to create cool environments.
Studies were carried out to evaluate the main commercial quality criteria, namely weight loss, bruising and decay, of commercial batches of strawberries and raspberries. They showed that batches kept in refrigerated cabinets at a temperature between 4.8 and 5.9°C and a humidity of 76% RH had an increased shelf-life of around two days for strawberries and around four days for raspberries, compared with batches kept in simulated retail store conditions (20°C, 50% RH).