Summary
Pre-cooled Vegetables often are distributed under fuctuating temperature in Japan. Because spinach sometimes loose the commercial value before transaction especally in summer, any guideline of controlled temperature in the shipping should be known. Changes in the quality of spinach during distribution were investigated at fluctuating and constant temperature after harvest. Respiration rate of spinach was changed sensitively by temperature. The effect of fluctuating of temperature on freshness of spinach was not so much, if the cycle of fluctuation of temperature was near natural condition. However, the very shorter cycle induced the abnormal respiration and the spinach did not keep the green color. For maintaining the freshness of spinach, it seemed to be the best that the low and constant temperature should be kept. If the temperature fluctuated, the cycle of 12 hours was better than one of 6 hours.HomePageKeywords: constant temperature, fluctuating temperature, freshness, keeping quality, respiration rate, spinach