Why keep fruit in a fruit storage unit?

Why keep your fruit in a special fruit storage unit?

In the past, before huge cold rooms and refrigerated lorries existed, every house had a cellar in which to store food.

This room, typical in traditional houses, was the pantry. It had to be:
- closed, to protect the food from insects and rodents,
- cool and stable in temperature which is why cellars were built with thick walls and were generally north facing with a single door,
- and dark, because light alters food.

It is slightly different when it comes to storing fruit.
A fruit cellar is the name given to the place where fruit is stored after harvesting and it must also be well-aired. Now we know why.

Climacteric or non-climacteric?

If we consider the fruit solely from a preservation point of view, we can put it into two categories: climacteric and non-climacteric. In order to better understand, certain kinds of fruit such as peaches, apricots, tomatoes, melons, apples and pears depend on ethylene in order to ripen and they naturally secrete it in variable quantities. The more a fruit ripens, the more ethylene it secretes. This gas is a powerful ripening agent for climacteric fruit. In fact, it is used in ripeners to respond to demand for green bananas by immersing them for a few dozen hours in a bath that is a blend of azote and ethylene (Aligal 101, Azedhyl, banana gas).
To preserve fruit and avoid the vicious circle that rapidly leads to rotting, it must be stored in a dark place that is well aired. By using a fruit storage unit, your fruit will continue to develop its aromas without prematurely rotting. It is well protected from insects, so you can keep your fruit without spoiling its taste.

Conversely, it may be necessary to pick some late blossoming fruit before full maturity is reached to preserve it better. Even if it is mature and has a sufficiently high level of sugar, it will not have developed all of its flavours. This can be the case with pears. By placing them with apples in an enclosed space, you restart the ripening process. Of all fruit, ripe apples release the most ethylene. You can also use them to encourage certain plants to rebloom, but that is another subject…