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Vegetables Produce Facts English
Asparagus (Green)
Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality
Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis
Maturity & Quality
Maturity Indices Asparagus spears are harvested as they emerge through the soil from the underground crowns. Typically, spears are cut when they reach approximately 23cm (9 in). Stalk diameter is not a good indicator of proper maturity and associated tenderness. (See Quality Indices) Quality, fresh asparagus will be dark green and firm with tightly closed, compact tips. Stalks are straight, tender and glossy in appearance. U.S. grades are No. 1 and No. 2. California grades range from small (0.47 cm/3/16 in) to Jumbo (2.1 cm/ 13/16) but diameter is not a good indicator of tenderness quality. Washington state standards, XF (Extra Fancy), are being adopted that specify tolerances which are somewhat more stringent than U.S. No. 1.
Temperature & Controlled Atmosphere
Optimum Temperature 0°C-2°C (32°F-35.6°F) 95-100% High relative humidity is essential to prevent dessication and loss of glossiness. Drying of the butt-end of spears is a negative quality factor. Commonly asparagus is packed and shipped in cartons with a water-saturated pad to maintain high humidity.
To calculate heat production multiply ml CO2/kg·hr by 440 to get Btu/ton/day or by 122 to get kcal/metric ton/day.
Exposure to ethylene will accelerate the lignification (toughening) of asparagus spears in controlled studies. The concentration and duration of exposure to exogenous ethylene, to cause this effect, at commonly encountered levels during storage and distribution are not available. Elevated CO2 at 5-10% (typically 7%) in air is beneficial in preventing decay and reducing the rate of toughening of the spears. The beneficial effect is most pronounced if temperatures cannot be maintained below 5°C (41°F). Short (CA) exposure to higher CO2 concentrations (12-20%) is safe and beneficial only if temperatures can be maintained at 0°C-1°C (32°F-33.8°F).
Disorders
Physiological and Physical Disorders
Pathological Disorders Disorders Photos
Title: Asparagus Bending Photo Credit: Leonard Morris, UC Davis 
Title: Asparagus Flower Initiation Photo Credit: CDFA 
Title: Bacterial Soft Rot on Asparagus Tips Photo Credit: Cantwell, Marita Department of Plant Sciences 
Title: Broken Tips Photo Credit: CDFA 
Title: Crooked Spears Photo Credit: CDFA 
Title: Frozen and Thawed Asparagus Photo Credit: CDFA 
Title: Split Spears Photo Credit: CDFA 
Title: Wilting Photo Credit: CDFA
Date
August 1996 |
Use of Materials
The UC Postharvest Technology Center grants users permission to download textual pages (including PDF files) from this World Wide Web site for personal use or to reproduce them for educational purposes, but credit lines and copyright notices within the pages must not be removed or modified.
Except for these specified uses, no part of the textual materials available on the UC Postharvest Technology Center Web site may be copied, downloaded, stored in a retrieval system, further transmitted or otherwise reproduced, stored, disseminated, transferred or used, in any form or by any means, except as permitted herein or with the University of California's prior written agreement. Request permission from UC Postharvest Technology Center. Distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited.
The information in this fact sheet represents our best understanding of the current state of knowledge at the time of the latest update, and does not represent an exhaustive review of all research results. Links to any of these UC Postharvest Technology Center pages are permitted, but no endorsement of the linking site or products mentioned in the linking page is intended or implied by such a link.
How to Cite
Author(s) names. Initial publication or update date (located at the top). Title. Link to the specific Produce Fact Sheet webpage (Accessed date)
Example: Cantwell, M. and T. Suslow. 2002. Lettuce, Crisphead: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality.
http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Center_/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/Datastores/Vegetables_English/?uid=19&ds=799 (Accessed January 18, 2014).
