POST-HARVEST PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN FULL RIPE STRAWBERRIES DURING COLD STORAGE

The objective of the present research was to study the post-harvest changes in quality attributes of fully ripened strawberry fruit during cold storage. The research trial was conducted using three different temperatures i.e. (0ºC, 5ºC and 10ºC) with 90-95% relative humidity. Quality attributes studied include firmness; weight loss, total soluble solids, pH and acidity during 2 weeks of storage after three days interval. The results indicated that titratable acidity and pH were affected non-significantly as a function of storage conditions. Whereas, weight loss was rapid in the samples stored at room temperature and 10°C than those stored at 0°C. It was further observed that at 0° C strawberry fruit showed maximum shelf life. Additionally, quality attributes remained stable as compared to 5°C and 10°C. The results indicated that fully ripened strawberry fruits should be stored at 0°C to retain best quality under climatic conditions prevailing in Pakistan.