High Humidity Storage of Carrots, Parsnips, Rutabagas, and Cabbage1

Abstract

Long-term storage tests with carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, and cabbage showed that at 98 to 100% relative humidity (RH), decay in these commodities was either less than or about the same as at 90 to 95% RH, while moisture loss was considerably less and the produce remained crisper, firmer, and of better color at the higher humidity. The optimum storage temperature for minimizing decay was 0 to 1°C. Cabbage stored in 1% O 2 with 5% CO 2 had less decay and remained greener than cabbage stored in air or in other modified atmospheres with up to 10% O 2 and 11% CO 2 . Limited tests with up to 1-1/2-ton samples of rutabagas and carrots confirmed the small-scale (1 bushel) tests and, for rutabagas, yielded information on temperature variations and air movement within bins.