Market Quality and Precooling Rates of Strawberries Packed in Various Containers

Excerpts from the report: California strawberries are normally packed in fiberboard trays, with twelve 1-pint plastic-mesh baskets fitted into each tray. The trays of berries are then palletized and shipped to market. Berry cutting and bruising is a major problem in air shipments to eastern markets. Proper precooling before air shipments of strawberries is necessary to maintain quality. This study was designed to (1) measure the amount of cutting and bruising in strawberries shipped in two types of pint baskets and (2) measure the precooling rates of strawberries in various containers and in two types of room precoolers