Horticultural commodities especially fruits are perishable and contain more water content and influence the fruit shelf life. That’s why it has a smaller number of days of fruit shelf life but if we give the specific environment then it may be possible to enhance fruit shelf life by lowering the temperature and humidity with a higher level. There are a lot of articles that will be available about anti-aging techniques to increase the fruit shelf life but here, in contrast, I will discuss the aging process that how fruits seem to look like as the day passes and how it is look-alike when fruit shelf life is decreasing.
So, let’s start with a few questions which are frequently asked by the general community.
Does fruit fresh expire?
As I have mentioned earlier that each fruit has its specific shelf life. When you will put your fruit in a warmer environment like at room temperature then metabolic processes will faster and fruit will rapidly go through the aging process and get expired.
On the other hand, if fruits are under a controlled environment like in a refrigerator, then fruit shelf life will be higher in days from one week to another just for example while fruits under cold stores then fruit shelf life will be increased from weeks to months.
How long does produce last in the fridge?
It is a rough estimate that refrigerator temperature remains constant between 4-6 degrees Celsius. That’s why fruit shelf life increased from days into weeks.
What can I substitute for fruit fresh?
If you are as asking for fruit to remain fresh at all times then it is impossible but there are different techniques through which we can use it in value-able form. But it is also specific and cannot be used for each fruit. There are a few examples like making pickles with mangoes at their stone age, making of jam especially pineapple, etc.
Which fruits should not be kept in the fridge?
There is no specific implementation about fruits in refrigerators but it is important that keep fruits separate from vegetables. Because fruits have a faster ripening process than vegetables. There are a few examples like apple, guava, banana, etc.
How many weeks a potato can be stored at room temperature?
When potatoes are harvested from the field and laid on the floor under the cool environment then it is called removing field heat which is important which increase the shelf life. Under a ventilated environment with a proper humid-free environment, potatoes can be stored for more than a month.
Note: It is very important to understand that shelf life will be higher if the surrounding temperature is lower like in the winter season but shelf-life condition will be vice versa if the temperature will be higher like in the summer season.
How can I keep my produce fresh longer?
To keep the produces for a longer period of time, you have to keep the temperature lower with a specific humidity percentage. This metabolic process will be slower and shelf life will be increased.
Now, there are the following fruits about which I will discuss.
Banana shelf life
Banana is a table fruit that is used in daily life. There is normally a 1–2-week fruit shelf-life capacity of banana if banana is kept under the refrigerator environment. Fresh banana is spotless and bright yellow color with soft eatable flesh and it remains in the same conditions for the next two to three days under room conditions.
After 6-7 days, black spots appear which is due to the aging process. Then, these spots fill the whole area of banana peel and bananas enter into clear unmarketable conditions. A full black banana appears at the end of the second week but remembers that this process of aging will be faster in the summer season. After the black stages, the whole banana becomes susceptible to fungus.
Apple shelf life
Apple is a temperate fruit and is available in the winter season when the temperature gets down. Therefore, apple fruit’s shelf life is 2-4 weeks at room temperature.
Apple is a high ethylene producing fruit but in lower temperature during the winter slower the process of aging. Apple remains fresh and good for use for almost two weeks and gets started its deterioration after two weeks. Its skin gets loses during the third week of its fruit shelf life with more sugar taste and also it starts creating odd smell due to ethylene production and in 4th-week skin becomes lossier with bad deteriorated smell and then its skin starts fungus contact.
Citrus shelf life
Citrus is a group of fruit that have specific characteristics like taste, color, etc. citrus fruit has also the same shelf-life period of up to one month. So, it will be raw to explain the same thing as I just explained in the above section in apple.
Watermelon shelf life
Watermelon is a summer fruit that contained more than 90 % of water. Its fruit shelf life is almost 1.5 weeks or one week. Watermelon is available in the summer season so that it loses its fruit turgidity faster.
Watermelon remains good from the inside as for taste and water content for four days if it is kept under a cool ventilated environment and loses the skin with more water content in the fruit flesh. It gets less sweet after four days and skin changes occur after one week.
So, it is important for consumers that check the flesh during purchasing that the flesh should be red with a tight appearance then it is good for us.
Strawberry shelf life
Strawberry is a delicate fruit and its fruit shelf life is up to two days but by the consumer end, it is suggested that consume it fresh ASAP. Strawberry fruit starts black spots on peel on the second day at room temperature and is contaminated by fungus on 4th day.
Mango shelf life
Mango is a king of fruits and it is available in summers when the surrounding temperature is hot. When mango fruit starts ripening, from that time its fruit shelf life is 6-8 days under the room with the ventilated condition.
Mango fruit shelf life is 12-14 days in the refrigerator. As the days passed, within 2-3 days fruit peel color changes into dark yellow and it starts loosening the skin and softening of pulp. Within the second week, black spots appeared on the skin which actually creates the initiation of fungus. Within the third-week mango gets spoiled with fungus and becomes completely undesirable for use.
Note: when mango fruit is harvested from the orchard its color is green after the treatment with ethylene mango fruit starts ripening. After the ripening stages, its fruit shelf life is counted.
Grapes shelf life
Grapes are available in may during the hot summer in Pakistan. So, its fruit shelf life is very short due to the delicacy of fruit. Grapes fruit shelf life is almost one week within your fridge but at room temperature, its shelf life is about 2-3 days. Simply loosening the skin due to removal of water and then rapidly becomes susceptible to the fungus.
Conclusion summary
This article is based on that how fruits end their fruit shelf life when you purchase them from the market. All the assumptions are made about all the above-mentioned fruit when the fruit is put at room temperatures.
I hope this article was helpful about fruit shelf life and fruit senescence.