23 



Table 5. The effects of cooling rate on the percent loss of blueberries. From 

 Ceponis and Cappellini (5). 



Days at 70*'F after 2 wks at 35° 



Cooling times (hrs) 



2 

 48 

 72 



after cold storage with high CO2. The CO2 enriched atmosphere significantly 

 reduced loss during and after storage. The use of CO2 enrichment of storage 

 rooms may not be feasible for blueberry growers, but enrichment of small lots 

 of fruit may be accomplished with the use of plastic films. Research studies 

 have used plastic envelopes to enclose several 1-pint baskets and have injected 

 CO2 directly into the envelopes to enrich the atmosphere. A high CO2 

 environment will develop naturally after enclosure in plastic but will take 5 

 to 7 days to reach 10-15%. Even with this delay in the development of a high 

 CO2 atmosphere the benefits of sealing in plastic may be significant. However, 

 plastic must be removed when the berries are removed from cold storage . 



Table 6. The effects of CO2 enrichment on the percent loss of blueberries 

 after cold storage. From Ceponis and Cappellini (5). 



Days at 70° after 2 wks at 35° 



Percent CO2 



12 to 15 0.9 2.1 5.7 12.6 



2.4 6.6 13.8 20.6 



CONCLUSIONS 



1. Keep blueberries COLD (31 to 32°F). The most effective means of 

 maintaining blueberry quality is through refrigeration. 



2. Cool blueberries QUICKLY. Significant benefits exist from rapid cooling. 



3. Seal in plastic to increase CO2 if longer storage is desired. Research 

 has shown that high CO2 can significantly reduce blueberry losses to 

 decay. Plastic films may be used to develop and maintain a high CO2 

 environment around the fruit. 



