Recommended temperature and storage conditions for various fruits. How to store vegetables and fruits in summer

In stores that sell fruits and vegetables, favorable conditions have been created for storing fruits, because they quickly disappear, which means that the director may lose a significant share of revenue. Such care for products is beneficial for the consumer, because only properly preserved fruits and vegetables are enriched big amount vitamins and beneficial nutrients.

Technologists are constantly studying how to slow down the processes of rotting and spoilage of fruits. Storage technology primarily depends on the current state of the products. For example, if they are not ripe, it is necessary to ensure a ripening process similar to that in gardens and fields.

Modern methods of storing fruits and vegetables

Technologists who are well acquainted with methods of effective, long-term storage of vegetables and fruits can offer one of the current options:

• build high-quality, high-power ventilation in the warehouse, then the fruits will not rot and rot;
• perhaps the room does not have enough refrigeration equipment designed for large square meters;
• The microbiological air purification and disinfection system works well on fruit and vegetable crops.

Solving issues related to long-term storage of horticultural products requires further study and fundamental research. Methods and processes are constantly being improved, but so far humanity has not learned to do without constant air circulation and refrigeration equipment.

By the way, we adopted the desire to stock up from our four-legged friends, but they bury the bones in the ground, and we bring the food home and place it on the shelves of the refrigerator. Almost nothing changes from year to year. A definite breakthrough in storage technology can be considered wireless cooler bags, which are designed to maintain cold temperatures inside the structure, similar to a thermos.

Modern refrigerators don’t stand aside either – now different systems offer several levels of food refrigeration. Technologists note the importance of keeping food in the best condition for 2 reasons:

1. Improving technology will minimize cases of poisoning from missing dishes.
2. Fruits and vegetables are the foundation healthy eating, so you need to eat them every day, which means that purchasing and storing them for a long period remains almost the most necessary. For entrepreneurs, this approach is beneficial because you don’t have to travel for fruits and vegetables too often, which means you can save on transportation costs and earn more.

Storage temperature of vegetables and fruits

Even when storing vegetables and fruits at home, it is important to know what temperature is optimal for each type of product. 2 indicators become approximate:

• relative humidity;
• temperature.

We asked technologists for information on how to preserve the most common fruits and vegetables for long term. At the same time, the new crop is taken into account, properly packaged, sorted and placed in the necessary storage facility, which can be a cold storage facility, storage for fruits, or a storage room for vegetables.

For ease of use of information, the information is presented in tabular form. Recommended temperature values ​​are taken from textbooks of American universities involved in the training and graduation of qualified young specialists. The times of the USSR are famous for the high standard of GOSTs that define optimal conditions storage of fruits and vegetables, which is also indicated in the table below.

Approximate temperature for storing vegetables and fruits - table

What fruits and vegetables cannot be combined with each other?

Not all fruits can be stored nearby. There are completely incompatible vegetables and fruits, which, on the contrary, contribute to the occurrence of negative factors, causing:

• speedy damage to each other;
• release of useful substances;
• loss of vitamins;
• absorption of odors.

Based on compatibility, fruits and vegetables are placed according to the following rules:

• You can’t put an avocado next to an apricot, otherwise the latter will interrupt the pleasant aroma of the first;
• It is unacceptable to place onions together with figs, grapes, mushrooms, and corn;
• Most fruits and vegetables do not tolerate proximity to polyethylene, not to mention storing food in plastic bags.

How can you lower the storage temperature of vegetables and fruits?

Even if fruits and vegetables are kept in refrigeration equipment, this does not mean that the temperature cannot be influenced. The cooling efficiency increases significantly if you increase the circulation of air blowing over the products. This method became the basis for forced air cooling, which many refrigeration plants use today.

The essence of the principle is to make cooled air masses move faster due to a high-power rotating fan. It is important to follow the rule of fruit laying sequence.

Sometimes the refrigerator needs to be retrofitted to make this process efficient, but if retrofitting is not economically viable for the owner, cheaper cooling options are used. They can be portable and mobile forced air cooling devices. What you need to do is to minimize water loss from fruits and vegetables.

How the cooling system works:

1. Cold air is dried in the equipment.
2. At this time, water vapor condenses on the evaporator, which reduces the humidity in the room. As a result, the product loses a certain percentage of moisture.

Another option for cooling fruits and vegetables is by hydrocooling, where the heat is released faster than with the forced method.

Bright, juicy and fragrant fruits- this is the decoration of any diet, therefore, when paying at the supermarket checkout, we are sure that we have not spent in vain - we have provided ourselves and our loved ones with vitamins. The habits of modern people are dictated by total employment and the presence of a refrigerator, which is found in almost every home. Many people prefer to buy a week's supply of food at once, so as not to waste time on daily shopping trips. And in this grocery set Fruit is almost always present. It is worth considering in more detail how to properly store fruits at home so that they do not lose useful properties and appetizing appearance.

Conditions and periods of storage in the refrigerator

At the points of sale, optimal conditions have been created for the preservation of fruits in accordance with Sanitary Rules and Regulations. These standards are controlled by the government. A few simple rules will help ensure the safety of fruits at home. Most of us, following habit, load all the fruits into the refrigerator, although this is not always rational. Usually people do just this because they are convinced that the safety of food at home can only be guaranteed in temperature conditions refrigerator. But this is not entirely true when it comes to delicate and capricious fruits.

Desire to save exotic fruits at low temperatures often leads to the opposite result - they rot, become damp or become saturated with foreign odors.

It is worth paying attention to a few simple recommendations.

• This primarily applies to fruits grown in southern latitudes. They cannot withstand temperatures below 8 degrees, so their place in the refrigerator is on the lowest shelves or in special compartments. Wherein delicate fruits they don’t like cramped spaces - containers cannot be filled to capacity, air must circulate freely.

• Any fruit can be bought regardless of the season, but storage conditions are different for everyone. You shouldn’t keep all the nuances in your memory, because back in the days Soviet Union High GOST standards were developed. These universal storage rules are summarized in the table below for your convenience. You can print it out and keep it in front of your eyes in the kitchen.

Some fruits can be preserved by putting them in freezer. This method is great for apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches and grapes. Before freezing, fruits must be washed. Cut apples and pears into slices. Remove the pits from peaches, plums and apricots. Then they can be placed in plastic containers. Frozen fruit is an excellent filling for pies and tastes indistinguishable from fresh fruit.

How else to place fruit?

The refrigerator is perceived by many modern people as the only place to store food, but this is not entirely true. Many fruits do not necessarily need to be kept at low temperatures, since it has a detrimental effect on them. Fruits grown in hot climates can lose more than half of their vitamins after just a few days spent on the refrigerator shelf: bananas will become covered with dark spots, melons and watermelons will become tasteless when exposed to cold. If the house has a cool pantry or cellar, then it is better to keep fruit there. If there is no such room - on the kitchen table, in closets or on the balcony.

Juicy and overripe tropical fruits should not be purchased for future use; they spoil very quickly. So take some to eat on the day of purchase. The rest can be used to make compotes, jam or dessert. Almost all fruits are perfectly preserved in room temperature, if you protect them from direct sunlight. If possible, place them in the dark.

Citrus fruits can be placed in fruit bowl and put them on the table so that they could be seen by everyone at home. If the family is large and several kilograms are purchased at once, it is worth placing oranges (tangerines, grapefruits) in a cardboard box and laying them out as needed. Citrus fruits will last well on the table from three days to a week, depending on the variety and degree of ripeness. For storing any fruit, environmentally friendly packaging is preferred: paper bags, cardboard boxes, special containers, wooden boxes.

Cut fruits should not be stored at room temperature; they attract flies and fruit gnats. It is best to eat them as quickly as possible before they dry out or put them in the refrigerator for a short time. This also applies to melons: Whole watermelons and melons tolerate room temperature well, but cut ones do not. They must be placed in the refrigerator, but not for more than a few days. Sealed cellophane containers (bags, trays) are absolutely not suitable for fruits, since ripe ones rot in them, and unripe ones do not ripen. Many fruits grown in southern latitudes are harvested unripe so that they can safely survive transportation over long distances. At room temperature they quickly become sweet and juicy.

What fruits should not be placed together?

It is important to consider that some fruits are incompatible when stored. They literally destroy each other, lying next to each other on a table or refrigerator shelf. The cause of the phenomenon is ethylene gas, which is odorless and colorless, which accelerates the ripening process. The aura of apples is especially saturated with ethylene, next to which the risk of overripening and rotting increases significantly. But this property can be used for peaceful purposes: if you put a ripe apple along with green banana or a hard pear, the latter will ripen much faster. Having bought unripe fruits from high content ethylene, set up a gas trap for them: put them in a paper bag and close it. The gas they release, accumulating, will accelerate ripening.

The following fruits must be stored with care:

• bananas;
• apricots;
• figs;
• avocado;
• melons;
• nectarines;
• peaches;
• pears;
• plums

All of them are champions in ethylene content. Overripe, rotten and damaged fruits emit especially much of this gas.

• after the fruits are at your home, carefully inspect them - grape bunches may have spoiled berries, peaches and apricots may have bruised sides; be sure to separate damaged fruits from whole ones, this will make it easier to keep them fresh for a long time;
• Unwashed fruits that are intended for the refrigerator are best placed in a spacious bag or left in original packaging supermarket; if they are supposed to be stored at room temperature, you need to remove them from the packaging immediately;

• fruits and vegetables cannot be kept together - this rule applies to both the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets, for example, figs and grapes after being adjacent to onions absorb its smell;
• any overripe fruits should be kept in the refrigerator;
• fruits that need to ripen do not need to be put in the refrigerator, there they can lose most of their vitamins without ever reaching ripeness; put them in a paper bag and leave them on the table or in the kitchen cabinet;
• apricots should not be kept next to avocados, since the latter has a pleasant, but very subtle aroma; apricots overpower it;
• in some cases, polyethylene can ensure the safety of bananas; they should be wrapped around the stems, clasped together, and the fruit will last well for several days at room temperature;

• plums are stored in the refrigerator, they are washed only before serving, so as not to wash off the white coating, because it is this that protects the fruit from drying out;
• grapes are also stored unwashed in the refrigerator; in the cold its shelf life is up to two weeks;
• apples shrink when there is a lack of moisture, so long-term storage It is better to place them in the refrigerator, placing them separately from other products;
• ripe and juicy pears It is worth buying in small quantities, they spoil very quickly, even in the refrigerator such fruits can be stored for up to two days;
• unripe pears can be taken for future use, placed in paper bags and left at room temperature, so they will ripen quickly;

• Unripe Asian pears have the longest shelf life - up to three weeks in the refrigerator;
• limes and lemons, when in the refrigerator, can become saturated with foreign odors, so it is better to keep them on the table, where they can be stored for up to a week;
• the place to store strawberries is the refrigerator, but these delicate berries, even at low temperatures, begin to deteriorate after just a few days;
• For storage, strawberries should be spread out in the refrigerator in a thin layer so that they are not subject to pressure.

The intricacies of storing fruit are described in the video below.

Ecology of consumption: Ripe vegetables and fruits are famous for the highest content of vitamins. But how do you know if a banana or, for example, a pineapple is ripe?

Ripe vegetables and fruits are famous for the highest content of vitamins. But how do you know if a banana or, for example, a pineapple is ripe? Good indicators in such cases are the color and smell of a particular vegetable or fruit. Naturally, no one would think of peeling a banana and taking a bite. Even heavier with pineapple: by appearance It is hardly possible to determine whether it is yellow or green. And here the smell will help us: if the pineapple exudes a typical aroma, it means it is ripe. The smell also determines the ripeness of other fruits, for example, honeydew melon and mango.

What happens during long-term and improper storage?

If vegetables and fruits are stored improperly, vitamins, which are very sensitive to changes in temperature and light, are destroyed. The pulp of the fruit deteriorates, the fruit itself becomes inconspicuous and inedible. So, for example, when storing a banana in the refrigerator, it, like many tropical fruits that are not accustomed to low temperatures lose their taste and aroma. The optimal solution in in this case, will store them at room temperature.
What can and cannot be stored in the refrigerator?

You can store in the refrigerator:

Fruits: apples, apricots, pears, strawberries, figs, cherries, kiwi, nectarines, plums, peaches, table grapes.
Vegetables: artichoke, green salad, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, radishes, Brussels sprouts, red beets, celery, asparagus, spinach

Cannot be stored in the refrigerator:

Fruits: pineapples, avocados, bananas, pomegranate, mango, papaya, citrus fruits, melon. Vegetables: eggplant, cucumbers, green beans, potatoes, pumpkin, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini.

What does "proper storage" mean?

Previously, every house had a cellar and a storage room. It was always cool and dark there, which in itself is an ideal place for storing vegetables and fruits. Today, we mostly have only a refrigerator at our disposal.

Those who do not have a cellar should pay attention to the fact that vegetables and fruits cannot be stored in warm and bright rooms. Be that as it may, every apartment has a corner that is cooler and darker than the rest.

Store your vegetables and fruits there. But apples are always separated because they emit ethylene, which causes other fruits to overripe.

The following vegetables and fruits are sensitive to the most important ripening hormone - ethylene:
Kiwi, honeydew melon, mango, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are very sensitive to ethylene.
High sensitivity in apricots, bananas, pears, nectarines, peaches, papayas, avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes.

Average sensitivity in citrus fruits, leafy vegetables, potatoes, paprika, mushrooms, onions. Always store apples separately!

What to do with unripe vegetables and fruits?

Some fruits are picked fully ripe, while others are still green. For example, such southern fruits, like bananas, in order to deliver them in marketable form to our northern latitudes, harvested green. They ripen on the way and in vegetable warehouses. Some domestic fruits, for example, tomatoes and apples, are collected and sold in an unripe state. Half-green, unripe tomatoes ripen well in clay vessels.

Fruits that ripen:

apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, pears, blueberries, figs, guava, kiwi, mango, nectarine, papaya, peaches, plums, tomatoes, watermelons.

Fruits that do not ripen:
pineapples, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, tangerines, grapes, citrus fruits, eggplants, cucumbers, paprika.

What to do about brown spots?

It often happens that even in supermarkets brown spots appear on fruits. This means that the fetal tissue is damaged. Such fruits contain much less vitamins than healthy ones. Therefore, when purchasing, you need to consider the product very carefully. If you notice such dark spots on homemade vegetables and fruits that have appeared as a result of storage, they must be cut out and the rest of the fruit used as usual.

And I would also like to give some advice regarding winter storage vegetables and fruits. In modern buildings, it is sometimes quite problematic to properly store vegetables and fruits in fresh throughout the winter. Warm and dry basements of modern houses are wrapped in a sealed concrete corset. Therefore, subject to certain conditions, autumn harvest you can still keep it fresh and edible until the end of winter.

A wooden box filled with sand is suitable for storing all root vegetables. The sand must be wet!

Boxes of potatoes should be stored in dark room(potatoes germinate in the light). Store separately from apples. Apples produce a substance that promotes potato germination.
Apples and pears should be stored in wooden boxes or on wooden racks in a cool, well-ventilated area. Cover them with a damp cloth, this will stop them from evaporating. More fruits for a long time will retain their aroma and not wrinkle so quickly.

How to properly store vegetables and fruits Store grains in wooden boxes or paper bags, shake them from time to time.

Vegetables and fruits can be dried in a dryer or oven. Dried vegetables and fruits should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated place.

Dry, well-ventilated areas are suitable for line-drying onions and garlic. Store bushes with unripe tomatoes, herbs, and flowers in a dry place in a suspended state. published

The fruits and vegetables that we buy or pick from the garden in the summer need to be stored somewhere. Of course, it is better to try to eat them fresh, or to equip proper storage areas in your country estates. But what to do if this is not possible?

The refrigerator comes to the rescue

Not all fruits and vegetables keep well in the refrigerator. You've probably seen how quickly bananas become covered with black spots in the cold and cucumbers become soggy. So it’s better to place both bananas and cucumbers in a clean container, where they can last for several days at room temperature. And if you also wrap the banana legs with plastic, with which they are connected to each other, you can store them for a whole week. By the way, if you put slightly dried cucumbers with wrinkled skin in water, cutting off the “butts,” they will quickly restore their lost shape.

You can put the following vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator for short-term storage: grapes, eggplants, very ripe pears, green peas in pods, zucchini, fresh white cabbage, carrots, sweet bell peppers, radishes and turnips, beets, beans, mushrooms and apples. At the same time, the lower temperature limit at which these vegetables and fruits are ready to be stored should not fall below +8° C, and the upper limit should not exceed +13° C.

As for greens: lettuce, leeks, dill, celery, parsley, basil, cilantro, they are stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in a wet towel or just cotton cloth, and on top - in polyethylene or foil. In vegetable drawers, such greens will feel great for quite a long time.

Delicate berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, currants, wild strawberries will last a maximum of a day in the refrigerator. And this is if the berries are stored unwashed and in bulk containers, where they are laid out in a thin layer. Sweet cherries, cherries, and gooseberries are less capricious, and lie in the refrigerator on the “warmest” shelf for three days. It is also better to send a ripe watermelon to the cold. Whole watermelons are perfectly stored simply on the floor in the pantry or on the balcony.

What should not be put in the refrigerator

Potatoes are not kept in the refrigerator. Firstly, it takes up a lot of space, and secondly, potatoes are perfectly stored in a clean box in a cellar or pantry, that is, in places where it is relatively cool, always dry and dark. The same goes for garlic and onions. Just don’t put onions next to potatoes: this proximity leads to rapid spoilage of root vegetables.

It is also not recommended to put tangerines, oranges and lemons in the refrigerator. These fruits are delicate, and low temperatures have a detrimental effect on them.

Store tomatoes on the table, on the windowsill, in the vegetable drawer, but not in the refrigerator. Otherwise, you will have to eat something watery, with a loose structure and almost tasteless. The same applies to cucumbers.

But the most correct thing is to bring home only as much vegetables and fruits as you can eat or use for preparations.

First, a little chemistry lesson. Ethylene is an odorless and colorless gas that helps some fruits ripen. Some fruits contain a lot of it (for example, apples and pears), and some have negligible amounts.

• apples,
• apricots,
• avocado,
• bananas,
• melons,
• figs,
• nectarine,
• peaches,
• pears,
• plums,
• tomatoes.

They should not be stored with other fruits and vegetables. Unless you want them to finish it faster.

For example, if you put a banana in a paper bag, it will ripen faster because the ethylene will be trapped in the paper. Or you can put an apple or pear along with a banana.

It is also worth considering the fact that ethylene comes out faster from damaged fruit. As a result, one cracked apple can cause the entire package to spoil faster than usual.

What and where to store

After going to the market or store, you need to put what you bought in right place. Otherwise, all your efforts and money will be wasted.

Stored in the refrigerator:

• Artichokes
• Beet
• Brussels sprouts
• Celery
• Cherry
• Grape
• Green bean
• Lima beans
• Leafy vegetables
• Leek
• Spinach
• Sprouts
• Zucchini

For refrigerator storage, you have three options: store without a bag, in a plastic bag, or in paper bag. The plastic bag traps moisture inside, so it's best not to tighten it tightly or make a few holes.

It is advisable not to wash vegetables and fruits before putting them in the refrigerator. If you washed them, dry them well, otherwise mold may appear, and this is not very good for other products and your health.

After ripening the following are stored:

• Avocado
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums

Store in water:

• asparagus
• greenery

You need to store it the same way as if you were storing flowers: cut off the ends and place in a glass with a little water.

Store in a paper bag:

• mushrooms

Do not wash and store in a plastic bag:

• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Cranberry
• Green onions
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Radish

Do not wash and store in one layer:

• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Strawberry
• Raspberries

The listed berries cannot be washed or stored a large number of in one tray. The berries are very tender, and their skin is also soft. When washing, you damage them, juice leaks out and they simply turn sour. If you store them in small trays in one layer, they will last much longer.

Stored on the kitchen table:

• Apples
• Bananas
• Tomatoes
• Basil
• cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Ginger
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Oranges
• Mango
• Papaya
• Pepper
• Persimmon
• A pineapple
• Bananas
• Watermelon
• Pomegranate

It is not advisable to place the listed vegetables and fruits in direct sunlight or next to kitchen stove. From time to time you need to move them from place to place so that the fruit does not lie on the same side for a long time. This is especially true for tomatoes.

Store in a cool, dark place:

• Garlic
• Potato
• Pumpkin
• Leek

It’s not for nothing that cellars are so popular in villages. After all, it is in them that not only pickles and jam are stored all winter, but also potatoes, onions, pumpkin and garlic.