Study on ethylene-free storage of lemons

AIM

The aim of the project is to study the impact and effectiveness of KEEPCOOL ethylene filters for storing lemons.

The study consists in measuring various parameters that are indicative of ripening and ageing in lemons with and without the system to delay it while stored at 6-8º C.

METHODOLOGY

All the tests were carried out in a cold-storage unit at 6-8º C and 60% humidity, storing 2 crates of lemons (one used for analysis but without weighing) weighing approximately 5-6 kg per crate. The weight of the fruit was analysed at the beginning and after 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 days, looking at the weight, colour, pH level, Brix acidity level and texture. The tests were done with a KEEPCOOL filter placed in the centre of the cold-storage room near the ventilator.

MATERIALS

The following materials and teams were used to do the tasks:

Lemon: 

Filter: As a system to delay ripening and ageing, we used 2  KEEPCOOL KC-7, filters inside the M- CAM 200 machine with a fungicide system.

Cold storage: The cold-storage room is equipped with a program that controls temperature, humidity and lighting. For the test, the produce was stored at 6-8º C without humidity control.

Texture metre: To measure the texture of the produce, we used compression force measurement.

Chroma meter: The colour was assessed with a Minolta CR-200 chroma meter, which expresses results in CIELAB units.

GRAPHIC

Study on weight-loss in lemons with ethylene filters.

PHOTOS

Comparison day 1 lemon without filter (control) and with KEEPCOOL ethylene filter

Comparison day 33 lemon without filter (control) and with KEEPCOOL ethylene filter