Effect of Short-term Storage in a High-humidity Refrigerator on the Quality of Asparagus (<i>Asparagus officinalis</i> L.) during Storage and Display

Abstract

The effects of storage in a high-humidity refrigerator, which creates low-temperature and high-humidity conditions, on the weight, elongation, and quality of young asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) stalks were investigated. After 11 hours of storage, the decrease in weight and length of young stalks was significantly smaller in the high-humidity refrigerator than in the normal refrigerator, indicating that the high-humidity refrigerator was effective in repressing weight loss of young stalks during storage. To clarify the effect of storage in each refrigerator on the quality of young stalks on subsequent display at sales outlets, young stalks stored for 0-72 hours in each refrigerator were kept in water in a refrigerated showcase for 3 days. Although no significant difference between the normal and high-humidity refrigerators was observed in terms of the quality of young stalks after 3 days of display, storage in the high-humidity refrigerator suppressed an unfavorable rapid increase in weight of young stalks during display that is observed in the normal refrigerator, suggesting its effectiveness as a short-term refrigeration technique immediately after harvest. As the storage period in the high-humidity refrigerator increased, the amount of weight and elongation of young stems after storage in the refrigerated showcase became smaller, and their sugar content increased. These results indicate the usefulness of the high-humidity refrigerator for storage of asparagus and the possibility of applying the high-humidity and low-temperature storage to maintain the quality of asparagus during the display period.