The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Broccoli may be shipped for up to 3 weeks in mixed load marine containers to supply U.S. military bases in the Pacific region and is one of the most commonly rejected fresh fruit and vegetable items upon arrival. Preliminary experiments with fresh broccoli indicated that temperature control during simulated shipping could maintain the product’s quality for 30 days, which is longer than the time required to transport the crop by sea within the Pacific region. Thus, we considered that the products may not always be freshly harvested before shipping. In this research we focused on the effect of controlled atmosphere (CA) on the postharvest quality of broccoli that was stored in air at different temperatures before CA storage. Fresh broccoli (Green Magic cv.) was obtained from a packinghouse in Palatka, FL, within an hour of harvest. The broccoli was transferred in an air-conditioned vehicle to the Postharvest Horticulture Laboratory at the University of Florida in Gainesville and stored overnight at 0.5 °C. The broccoli was equally divided into three groups. The first group was immediately placed into CA (1% oxygen plus 10% carbon dioxide) or air at 0.5 °C. The second and third groups were stored for 5 or 10 days, respectively, at 0.5 °C or 5 °C before transfer to CA or air at 0.5 °C. Color changes, weight loss, chlorophyll fluorescence, and overall visual quality were evaluated after 10 and 20 days of storage and 20 days of storage plus 3 days shelf life at 20 °C. Respiration rate and ethylene production was also measured at the time of evaluations. The results of the experiment indicated that the use of CA for broccoli storage at 0.5 °C did not maintain a higher product quality or extend its shelf life compared to air storage even if the product was stored for 10 days at 5 °C before the CA. Optimum temperature management alone is sufficient to manage fresh broccoli during shipping for up to 3 weeks in marine containers.