All fruit and vegetables are not created equal when it comes to proper storage conditions

Questions about this information? Contact us. January 23, 2019

Updated from an original article written by Ron Goldy.

Knowing how to properly handle and store produce can make for a more nutritious and tasteful experience as well as decreasing your food waste and making your produce dollars go farther.

Physiologically immature (top) and mature (bottom) pears.

“A little knowledge goes a long way” is a common saying. According to University of Vermont’s Meredith Niles, the average person in the U.S. wastes approximately a pound of food a day. That is roughly 1,150 pounds a year for an average U.S. family. This is food purchased and brought home that you were not able to eat before it spoiled. Therefore, if knowing more about proper storage of fresh produce reduces any of this loss, it is worth gaining that knowledge.

The first thing to know is that not all produce like to be stored at the same temperature. Each produce item has an ideal temperature or temperature range that is best for maintaining quality. Higher temperatures cause them to mature or spoil quicker. Lower temperatures will cause “chilling injury,” and if low enough (below 32 degrees Fahrenheit) they may freeze. For some produce, chilling injury can happen at what might be considered not that cold. Chilling injury shows itself as off color (bananas skin turns brown), or the flavor goes bland (tomatoes). Items that have frozen will look like they have been cooked and will have what is called a “water soaked” appearance.

Table 1 shows common storage conditions required for common fruit and vegetables. Most in-home refrigerators are set at 35 to 40 F, a range covering most of what is on the list, but some things do best at higher temperatures. As shown in Table 1, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, squash, pumpkins, etc. store longer at temperatures above 50 F. Some high-end refrigerators now have a special compartment for storage of these higher temperature items.

Fruit and vegetables are categorized as climacteric or non-climacteric. Climacteric fruit reach a certain developmental stage and once attaining that stage, continue to develop to full physiological maturity, even when removed from the plant. Climacteric fruit such as peaches, plums, cantaloupe, bananas, pears and tomatoes continue to gain flavor and get sweeter by changing starch into sugar. Many also go from firm to soft and juicy (peach and plum), or at least softer (avocado and cantaloupe). They are also sensitive to ethylene gas, which they self-generate, further aiding the ripening process.

Ripe and unripe bananas — *Physiologically immature (top) and mature (bottom) bananas.*

Climacteric fruit can be left at room temperature until consumed or mature and then refrigerated. Since many climacteric fruit soften as they ripen, to minimize bruising during shipment and extend shelf life, they are harvested firm and physiologically immature. If not left to fully mature, this results in crunchy peaches, nectarines and plums; green, starchy bananas; and bland tasting cantaloupe. Many consumers are used to this condition and taste and think that is the way it is supposed to be. However, if left at room temperature for a few days, the fruit would develop more flavor and sweetness. Peaches, nectarines and plums reach optimum flavor when soft and juicy, bananas reach optimum when they are yellow and have brown speckling on the skin and cantaloupe when the fruit is somewhat soft.

Non-climacteric fruit are fruit that need to stay on the plant to reach full physiological maturity. Once removed, they will not continue to mature, gain flavor or sugar. Their highest eating quality is at harvest. Some examples of non-climacteric fruits, as shown in Table 2, are cherries, grapes, oranges and raspberries. For food safety, it is important that once all whole fruits and vegetables are cut-up, they need to be eaten or refrigerated within 2 hours.

Table 2 is a list of common climacteric and non-climacteric fruit. All climacteric fruit in Table 2 are labeled as ethylene sensitive in Table 1. Table 1 also has some fruit and non-fruit items as ethylene sensitive. As a gas, ethylene is hard to contain and many things respond in negative ways if stored with ethylene generating fruit. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts will turn yellow or crack and start to grow, carrots develop a bitter flavor due to ethylene-induced isocoumarin production and cucumbers deteriorate quicker. Other ethylene-sensitive items respond in different ways.

Knowing how to properly handle and store produce can make for a more nutritious and tasteful experience as well as decreasing your food waste and making your produce dollars go farther.

Table 1. Optimum storage conditions for common fruits and vegetables.
Fruit or vegetable	Temperature (F)	% Relative humidity	Precooling method	Storage life days	Ethylene sensitive
Apples	30-40	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	90-240	Yes
Apricots	32	90-95	Room cooling, Hydrocooling	7-14	Yes
Asparagus	32-35	95-100	Hydrocooling, Package icing	14-21	Yes
Avocados	40-55	85-90		14-28	Yes
Bananas	56-58	90-95		7-28	Yes
Beans, snap	40-45	95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	10-14	Yes
Beans, lima	37-41	95		7-10	No
Beets, roots	32	98-100	Room cooling	90-150	No
Blackberries	31-32	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	2-3	No
Blueberries	31-32	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	10-18	No
Broccoli	32	95-100	Package icing, Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	10-14	Yes
Brussel sprouts	32	95-100	Hydrocooling, Vacuum cooling, Package icing	21-35	Yes
Cabbage	32	98-100	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	90-180	Yes
Cantaloupe	36-41	95	Hydrocooling, Forced-air cooling	10-14	Yes
Carrots, topped	32	98-100	Package icing, Room cooling	28-180	Yes
Cauliflower	32	90-98	Hydrocooling, Vacuum cooling	20-30	No
Celery	32	98-100	Package icing	14-28	Yes
Cherries, sweet	30-31	90-95	Hydrocooling, Forced-air cooling	14-21	No
Corn, sweet	32	95-98	Hydrocooling, Package icing, Vacuum cooling	4-6	No
Cranberries	36-40	90-95		60-120	No
Cucumbers	50-55	95	Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	10-14	Yes
Eggplant	46-54	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	10-14	Yes
Endive	32	90-95	Hydrocooling, Package icing	14-21	Yes
Garlic	32-34	65-75	No pre-cooling needed	90-210	No
Grapefruit	50-60	85-90		28-42	No
Grapes	32	85	Forced-air cooling	56-180	No
Kiwifruit	32	95-100		28-84	Yes
Leeks	32	95-100	Hydrocooling, Package icing	60-90	Yes
Lemons	50-55	85-90		30-180	No
Lettuce	32	85-90	Hydrocooling, Package icing	14-21	Yes
Limes	48-50	85-90		21-35	No
Mushrooms	32	95		12-17	No
Nectarines	31-32	95	Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	14-18	Yes
Okra	45-50	90-95		7-14	Yes
Onions, bulb	32	65-70	No pre-cooling needed	30-180	No
Onions, green	32	95-100	Hydrocooling, Package icing	7-10	No
Oranges	32-48	85-90		21-56	No
Peaches	31-32	90-95	Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	14-28	Yes
Pears	32	90-95	Forced-air cooling, Room cooling, Hydrocooling	60-90	Yes
Peas, in pods	32	95-98	Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling, Package icing	7-10	Yes
Peppers, bell	45-55	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	12-18	Yes
Peppers, hot	45-50	60-70	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	14-21	Yes
Pineapple	45-55	85-90		14-36	No
Plums	32	90-95	Forced-air cooling, Hydrocooling	14-28	Yes
Potatoes, early	50-60	90	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	56-140	No
Potatoes, late	40-50	90	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	56-140	Yes
Pumpkins	50-60	50-75	No pre-cooling needed	84-160	No
Radishes	32	95-100	Package icing	21-28	No
Raspberries	32	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	2-3	Yes
Rutabagas	32	98-100	Room cooling	120-180	No
Spinach	32	95-100	Hydrocooling, Package icing	10-14	Yes
Squash, summer	41-50	95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	7-14	Yes
Squash, winter	50-55	50-70	No pre-cooling needed	84-150	No
Strawberries	32	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	5-10	No
Sweet potatoes	55-60	85-90	No pre-cooling needed	120-210	Yes
Tangerines	40	90-95		14-28	No
Tomatoes	62-68	90-95	Room cooling, Forced-air cooling	7-28	Yes
Turnips	32	95	Room cooling, Hydrocooling, Vacuum cooling, Package icing	120-150	No
Watermelon	50-60	90	No pre-cooling needed	14-21	No
Sources: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service

Table 2. Common climacteric and non-climacteric fruit and vegetables.
Climacteric fruit	Non-climacteric fruit
Apple	Blackberry
Apricot	Cherry
Avocado	Cucumber
Banana	Eggplant
Blueberry	Grape
Cantaloupe	Grapefruit
Fig	Lemon
Honeydew melon	Lime
Kiwifruit	Orange
Mango	Pepper (all)
Nectarine	Pineapple
Papaya	Pomegranate
Peach	Pumpkin
Persimmon	Raspberry
Plantain	Squash
Plum	Strawberry
Quince	Watermelon
Tomato	Zucchini

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

MSU Extension Food Preservation