Know Your Temperatures
All fruit and vegetables have a ‘critical temperature’, below which the produce will be affected undesirably, such as blackening and softening in carrots. Therefore, produce must be stored at above this temperature to maintain life and quality longevity. As there are many factors that contribute to a specific fruit and vegetable’s optimum storage temperature, take a look at the sample table below for a guide:
Fruit/Vegetable | Temperature (°C) | Conditions |
Apples cold room | 0 – 4 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Berries (Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries etc) | -1 – 4 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Broccoli | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Cabbage | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Carrots | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Cauliflower | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Cucumber | 10 – 13 | Cool, moist |
Cold room for Lettuce | 1 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Oranges | 0 – 4 | Cool, dry |
Cold room for Onions | 0 | Cool, dry |
Cold room for Peaches | -1 – 0 | Cool, dry |
Cold room for Pears | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Spinach | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Sweet potatoes | 13 – 16 | Warm, dry |
Cold room for Tomatoes | 13 – 21 | Cool, moist |
Cold room for Turnips | 0 | Cold, moist |
Cold room for Watercress | 0 | Cold, moist |