The Impact of Ripening Chambers on the Quality and Shelf Life of Fruits and Vegetables
The last stage of fruit and vegetable development, ripening, causes a variety of physicochemical and nutritional changes in them.
This affects their taste, texture, and appearance. The supply chain of ripe fruits and vegetables is extensive and takes time.
They sometimes become over-ripe and un-edible when they reach the market. To ensure that the fruits and vegetables reach the customers as they ripen, they are kept in special ripening chambers.
These chambers have controlled temperatures and environments as per the requirement of the fruits and vegetables.
Equipment in the Ripening Chambers
The ripening chambers are equipped with different equipment. They contain:
● Cooling system to maintain the temperature
● Humidifiers to control humidity as an excess of it or any reduction can have a negative impact on the stored food.
● Fans and ventilators to ensure the necessary supply of air and ventilation
● Controlling system to control carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and ethylene.
Along with this equipment, there are different types of sensors to keep a check on different parameters including CO2, temperature, and humidity.
These sensors need to be reliable as their accuracy has a direct impact on the ripening process.
They need to be resistant to do, soiling, and any kind of soil contamination.
All the sensors are mostly easy to maintain and are enclosed in a high protection class to protect them from being tampered with by the surrounding atmosphere.
Controlled Ripening
The fruits and vegetables are stored in ripening chambers to get an ideal degree of ripeness when they reach on a shelf.
They are stored in transport boxes and shelves. The humidity, temperature, CO2 supply, and ethylene supply are adjusted and controlled to slow down or accelerate the ripening process of the fruits and vegetables.
Different fruits and vegetables take different times to become ripe. They can be stored accordingly.
For instance, bananas are kept for 4-8 days in ripening chambers at a temperature between 14 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius.
Ripening chambers extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, benefiting farmers and sellers.
The ripening period is often decided by the change in color, texture, and firmness of the fruit and vegetables.
Similarly, fruits and vegetables are visually examined on alternate days or every few days to determine their shelf life.
Different components and methods are used in ripening chambers for different fruits and vegetables. In many countries, Ethephon is used for fruit ripening.
It penetrates the fruit and then releases ethylene. Ethylene Glycol is used in colder climates as the fruit ripening agent.
The ripening agent has to be chosen carefully as many chemicals lead to health hazards.
Conclusion
Ripening chambers are used to slow down or accelerate the ripening process of fruits and vegetables to satisfy their market demand.
The concentration of ripening agents should be controlled to keep a check on the toxic impact of these chemicals.
In a controlled environment, ripened fruits and vegetables are safe to eat.