Storage at 0 °C extends postharvest quality in Eureka blueberries

Researchers evaluated the storage potential of ‘Eureka’ blueberry under different temperature conditions to determine the most effective postharvest preservation strategy. The study also identified the main fungal pathogens responsible for fruit decay and examined their growth behaviour across a range of storage temperatures.

Freshly harvested blueberries were stored at 0 °C, 5 °C, 10 °C and 20 °C. During storage, measurements were taken for respiration rate, fruit firmness, total soluble solids content, decay incidence and weight loss. The findings confirmed that ‘Eureka’ blueberry behaves as a typical non-climacteric fruit, showing no respiratory peak during postharvest storage.

Fruit firmness and soluble solids content remained relatively stable regardless of storage temperature. In contrast, both decay incidence and weight loss increased substantially as temperatures rose, identifying these factors as the primary causes of postharvest losses.

Three fungal pathogens were isolated from decayed fruit and identified as Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum and Penicillium crustosum through morphological assessment, pathogenicity tests and multi-gene molecular analysis.

Laboratory assays showed that the optimal temperature range for mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea was between 5 °C and 25 °C, while maximum spore production occurred near 25 °C. For Penicillium expansum and Penicillium crustosum, both mycelial growth and sporulation were favoured between 10 °C and 30 °C, although P. expansum displayed slightly greater sensitivity to the upper temperature limit.

Both laboratory and fruit inoculation experiments demonstrated that storage at 0 °C significantly suppresses fungal growth and spore production in all three pathogens. As a result, researchers identified 0 °C as the most suitable temperature for long-term storage of ‘Eureka’ blueberries.

However, low-temperature storage is commonly associated with reduced relative humidity, which can accelerate fruit dehydration and weight loss. Consequently, the authors recommend combining 0 °C storage with moisture-retention strategies to maximise fruit quality and minimise postharvest losses in commercial operations.

Source

Su, Y., Pi, Y., Zhou, Y., Zhou, B., Cao, Y., Sun, C., Wang, Y., Cao, J., & Sun, C. (2026). Storability evaluation of ‘Eureka’ blueberry under different temperatures and characterization of postharvest pathogenic fungi. Scientia Horticulturae. Elsevier.