OpenAlex · 2026-07-25
Storing fruit at the right temperature dramatically slows the biological processes that cause ripening and decay, but the ideal temperature varies by fruit type — and getting it wrong causes either spoilage or cold damage. This review consolidates what scientists know about matching storage temperatures to specific fruits to cut postharvest losses.
Fruits fall into two categories — climacteric (like apples, bananas, and tomatoes, which ripen with a burst of ethylene gas) and non-climacteric (like grapes and citrus) — and each category requires fundamentally different temperature strategies.
Cold injury (chilling injury) can damage tropical and subtropical fruits even at temperatures above freezing, causing internal browning, pitting, and flavor loss that may not appear until the fruit warms up again.
Technologies like controlled atmosphere storage — which adjusts oxygen and carbon dioxide levels alongside temperature — can extend shelf life significantly beyond cold storage alone, reducing postharvest losses that account for an estimated 30–50% of fresh produce globally.