avocados darken and fail to soften further;
citrus fruits develop spotted skins. Foods of
tropical and subtropical origin keep best at the
relatively high temperature of 50ºF/10ºC, and
are often better off at room temperature than
in the refrigerator. Among them are melons,
eggplants, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers, and beans.
Temperature Control:
Freezing
The most drastic form of temperature control
is freezing, which stops cold the overall
metabolism of fruits, vegetables, and spoilage
microbes. It causes most of the water in the
cells to crystallize, thus immobilizing other
molecules and suspending most chemical
activity. The microbes are hardy, and most of
them revive on warming. But freezing kills
plant tissues, which suffer two kinds of
damage. One is chemical: as the water