Cooling delays result in lower firmness, appearance, and tip and butt condition ratings of asparagus during storage

Postharvest, poscosecha, postcosecha, asparagus, esp?rrago, precooling, hydrocooling, hidroenfriamiento, preenfriamiento Asparagus should be cooled to 0?C immediately after harvest. Rapid hydrocooling soon after harvest is highly recommended. Cold water is an effective method for quickly cooling a wide range of vegetables in container or bulk. Hydrocoolers use either an immersion or a shower system to bring products in contact with the water. Hydrocooling avoids product water loss and may even add water to a slightly wilted product. Results from trials in Ontario several years ago (DeEll and Roddy, 2002) showed that cooling delays (1 to 4 hours) resulted in lower firmness, appearance, and tip and butt condition ratings of asparagus during storage. Spears with 4 hours of delay also had substantially more rot after storage, as well as some visual deterioration (e.g. withering and pitting). Location of the cooling delay also had an effect, as spears held inside the packinghouse (16-21?C) for the delay had higher quality ratings than those held outside in the field (21-28?C). Incidence of rot was greater in asparagus held outside for the delay. In these same trials, spears held outdoors in the sunshine for 4 hours prior to packing and cold storage, continuously lost weight during this time. Spears had 4.3% weight loss while outside, plus an additional 1.2% loss while in the packinghouse, prior to cold storage. Some weight (but not all) was regained after packing in the standard box, with moisture pads and spraying of water. Source of the textPostharvest Handling and Storage of Asparagus, OMAFRA About the pictureThe picture is by Denis Cahill, in the article ?New cooling facility extends shelf life of asparagus, sweet corn?, that explains that the 2011 investment for which eighty acres (aprox. 40 ha) of asparagus were treated to new hydro-cooling facilities at the farm of Charles Welsh, Scotland, Ontario. A computer-controlled panel allows tracking of four storage rooms simultaneously. Photos by Denis Cahill; the full article, New cooling facility extends shelf life of asparagus, sweet corn ?