Abstract
Product temperatures of fruits and vegetables have been time-continuously measured during the whole distribution period from the crop field to Xinfadi wholesale market, the largest one in Beijing, to investigate the problems on temperature control for fruits and vegetables in China. Based on the obtained temperature data, the distribution process from the crop field to the wholesale market was classified into four stages that is (1) pre-collection, (2) collection, (3) transportation and (4) inside the market. In particular, product temperatures changed drastically during the collection stage. The rise in product temperature during the transportation period could be avoided by stakeholders' acquisition of technical knowledge. It was obvious that the changes of product temperature vary between packing types by applying temperature profile for calculation of respiration rate to compare the quality decline of fruits and vegetable. The results indicated that the temperature profiles of the products during distribution would be practical as quantitative parameters to investigate the feasibility of fresh-keeping technologies. Furthermore, it was considered that in the first place stakeholders should acquire the knowledge of temperature control to avoid the quality decline during each stage in the distribution process.
