The Storage Atmosphere
The storage life of fresh produce is strongly
affected by the atmosphere that surrounds it.
All plant tissues are mostly water, and require
a humid atmosphere to avoid drying out,
losing turgidity, and damaging their internal
systems. Practically, this means it’s best to
keep plant foods in restricted spaces — plastic
bags, or drawers within a refrigerator — to
slow down moisture loss to the compartment
as a whole and to the outside. At the same
time, living produce exhales carbon dioxide
and water, so moisture can accumulate and
condense on the food surfaces, which
encourages microbial attack. Lining the
container with an absorbent material — a
paper towel or bag — will delay condensation.
The metabolic activity of the cells can also
be slowed by limiting their access to oxygen.
Commercial packers fill their bags of produce
with a well-defined mixture of nitrogen,