The storage potential of apple cultivars is the longest among all fresh fruits because they are usually harvested mature, but not ripe (preclimacteric stage) ; most cultivars have relatively low respiration rates; some cultivars, such as Fuji and Granny Smith, have relatively low ethylene production rates; they have a high starch content that is converted to sugars during storage, and decline in firmness (crispness) slowly if kept at 0C (32 F) and especially when kept in low-oxygen atmospheres (1-2% oxygen) and/or treated with the anti-ethylene action chemical, 1-methylcyclopropene. Controlled atmosphere storage is commonly used for apples ( up to one year, depending on cultivar) and to a lesser extent ( up to 6 months) for European pears, Asian pears, kiwifruits, and pomegranates.

Mature-green tomatoes can be kept in controlled atmosphere storage ( 3-5% oxygen, balance nitrogen) at 12 C (54 F) for up to 8 weeks, then ripened in air at 20-25C (68-77 F), but their eating quality will be inferior to tomatoes harvested at the partially- or fully-ripe stage or those picked mature-green and ripened soon after harvest.

Tomatoes are chilling-sensitive (should not be kept below 12C = 54 F), do not have a starch reserve, and their rates of respiration and softening are higher than those of apples. That is why their storage potential is much lower than that of apples. --Adel Kader