Postharvest quality changes of organic strawberry Regina cultivar during controlled atmosphere storage

Fresh produce remains metabolically active even after harvest and continues to respire and lose water. This fact represents a current challenge for establishing the optimal conditions of controlled atmosphere for prolonging the shelf life of fresh vegetal products. In this study, the shelf life and the best storage practices for high quality organic strawberries were determined. Organic strawberries were stored in four different conditions: air (control); 5% O-2, 10% CO2, 85% N-2, 75% relative humidity (CA I); 5% O-2, 15% CO2, 80% N-2, 75% relative humidity (CA II) and 5% O-2, 10% CO2, 85% N-2, 95% relative humidity (CA III). It was established that the best storage conditions in controlled atmosphere of the tested organic strawberries were 5% O-2, 15% CO2 and 80% N-2 with 75% relative humidity at 3 degrees C, from physical-chemical, microbiological and nutritional points of view.