TRAWBERRY STORAGE SYSTEMS

STRAWBERRY GROWING
It is one of the few fruits whose seeds are on (outside) the fruit. In this respect, the strawberry is an exception, because the seeds of most fruits are contained within the fruit. In the world, there are more than 20 named strawberry species; there are also various hybrids and cultivars. The most commercially grown strawberries worldwide are cultivars of the Fragaraananassa hybrid called garden strawberry.

STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION PRECISION
In order to prevent the damaged and diseased strawberries from being packaged together with the healthy ones, the sorting process during the harvest draws attention. The faster and better the temperature management is, the more important is the minimization of spoilage and the prolongation of the shelf life. A 1-hour delay in cooling will reduce the marketing percentage of strawberries.

STRAWBERRY STORAGE CONDITIONS
The optimum storage condition is 0 °C and 90-95% relative humidity. However, storage times are between 5-7 days. To prolong the life of the product, it should be cooled to 0 °C immediately after harvest and stored at 0 °C. The optimum storage condition is storage at 0 °C and 90-95% relative humidity. However, storage times are between 5-7 days. To prolong the life of the product, it should be cooled to 0 °C immediately after harvest and stored at 0 °C. The temperature of the product can reach up to 30 °C where it is harvested, and waiting for 4 hours at 0 °C may result in 40% wastage.

STORAGE OF FROZEN PRODUCT
Strawberries to be frozen should be dark in color, hard, firm and have a high aroma. Strawberries that come to the factory to be frozen are first poured into a washing machine. From here, the strawberries are transported to a slightly vibrating sieve, washed thoroughly with copious amounts of showering and transported to the sorting belt. Here, the bruised, bruised and green ones are separated and removed. Then, in the grading machine, usually 3 dyes are separated. While the large ones are chopped into 5-7 mm thick slices in a special chopping machine, the small ones are frozen whole.

STORAGE OF FROZEN PRODUCT WITH IQF
Prepared strawberries are frozen in sugar or directly without sugar. In sugar ice cream, strawberries are first mixed with sugar, usually in a 4-to-1 ratio. Mixing can be done with a slow rotating cylinder. The resulting mixture is poured into the chamber of the filling machine and packaged from there. Those filled in consumer packages are quickly frozen in plate freezers or air circulation freezers at -30 °C or -40 °C. Those filled in large packages can usually be frozen in a warehouse at -35 °C.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY WITH IQF METHOD
Whole strawberries without added sugar can most commonly be frozen using the IQF method. In this method, the products are provided with fluidity on a perforated steel band with the help of cold air and nitrogen given from below. If this method is used, its production is cheaper and the freezing time is 9-13 minutes.

Fresh
Temperature : 0 °C
Relative humidity or packaging: 90-95%
Post-harvest life: 5-10 days in normal weather, + 15% in normal weather
10-21 days in carbon dioxide
Freezing point : -0.8 °C

Frozen
Temperature : -18 °C
Relative humidity or packaging : Vapor-tight packaging
Post-harvest life: 14-18 months