Increasing Shelf Life of Strawberries Using an Irradiation-Cooling Process

The strawberry culture in Morocco knew a fast development since the first tests of modern culture in the areas of favorable microclimates. This culture covers up to 20% of the cultures under shelter and is intended not only for local consumption and for the Moroccan agro-industrial sector but also for export to European countries. The strawberry is a fragile fruit which is degraded easily. Its high content of sugar allows for the development of the micro-organisms and the rate of rot of the fruit. In fact, it is of interest to develop and improve techniques of conservation in order to limit the post-harvest losses. In this work, an impact study of refrigeration combined with ionization was carried out with the aim of optimizing the shelf life of the strawberry without deteriorating its organoleptic qualities. A follow-up of the evolution of the mesoaerobes, yeasts, and moulds, as well as coliforms, was carried out for the ionized strawberries with various doses and preserved at 2 and 7 degrees C, with an aim of determining the best combination dose-temperature of storage for the strawberries.