Response of strawberry fruits to low temperature and ambient storage conditions

The fruit of ‘Winter Dawn’ and ‘Chandler’ strawberries were harvested at commercial maturity on the attainment of fully red ripe stage, and packed in 200g plastic punnets. The fruits were then stored under two different environmental conditions viz., cold storage (5±1°C; 90-95% RH) and at ambient temperature (28-30°C; 60-65% RH). Fruits were evaluated for transformation in physical and biochemical attributes during the storage period. Results revealed that fruits stored under cold temperature conditions significantly reduced PLW, fruit firmness and rotting, and also maintained various quality traits viz., total soluble solids, sugars, acidity, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin content, antioxidant properties and sensory quality as compared to ambient temperature during the storage period. The studies highlighted that fruits of both the cultivars could be stored up to 6-9 days and 2 days at low temperature and ambient conditions, respectively.