IMPROVING BLUEBERRY POSTHARVEST QUALITY: Rapid Transit from Field Harvest to Cooling Facility

The time between harvest and cooling in a packing facility has a direct influence on the final quality of blueberries at market. Research done by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists has shown that reducing the time from field harvesting to initial cooling has significant effects on the blueberry fresh market appearance, acceptable softness, and presence of anthracnose rot after cold storage (0.5 °C) for one week, followed by shelf conditions for three days (13 °C).