Beetroot

Infobox on Beetroot
Example of Beetroot
Freshness facts
Optimum carrying temperature	0°C to 1°C (see text)
Highest freezing point	-0,5°C
Acceptable product temp. at loading into containers	Max. 2°C above carrying temperature
Optimum humidity	95%-100%
Ventilation setting for containers	10 m³/hr
Storage life	2-3 weeks(bunched) 3-8 months (topped)
Climacteric / non-climacteric	Non-climacteric
Ethylene production	Very low
Ethylene sensitivity	Medium
Modified / controlled atmosphere	>5% O2; <5% CO2
Potential benefits	Very little effect
Availability
Australia Chile Cyprus France/Spain/Portugal Ireland Netherlands	May - June December - May October - June April - June April - November On demand

Beetroot

Harvesting and Handling

The most important of the vegetable beet is red beet, otherwise known as garden beet, table beet, or beetroot. The roots, which may be round or long, are boiled and then peeled, this procedure being necessary to avoid leakage of crimson juice. For the same reason, beetroots need to be harvested with especial care if damage, with consequential ‘bleeding’, is to be avoided.

Beets can be marketed in bunches with the foliage still intact, and in this state may be held for approx. two weeks at 0°C. More usually beets are topped (preferably not too close) in preparation for storage over a period of months. Bunched beets are much more perishable than topped beets.

There are three main hazards:

• moisture loss, which causes beetroots (especially small ones) to become flaccid and even shrivelled
• shoot growth
• decay
  
  

To minimise physiological and pathological deterioration, high humidity and low temperature are essential. For shipment of beetroots, refrigeration is necessary and it is appropriate to pack beets in polyethylene-lined sacks (with perforations). The liner must envelop all the beets since, if some remain uncovered, these will lose moisture preferentially and suffer extreme wilting.

Cooling and Storage

Bunched beets should be pre-cooled to below 4°C within 4 to 6 hours of harvest. Hydro-cooling, forced-air cooling and package icing are common cooling methods. Proper pre-cooling and packaging retard subsequent discolouration of the leaves, weight loss and decay. Mature harvested beets should be pre-cooled within 24 hours after harvest to below 5°C with forced-air cooling.

Bunched beets can be kept for about 2-3 weeks at 0°C and >95% RH. Topped beets should be stored at 1°C to 2°C and >95% RH. During storage at 0°C to 1°C, more black spot and rot occur than at higher temperatures. Red beets can be in air-ventilated storage for 4 to 6 months and in mechanical refrigerated storage for as long as 8 months. Before storage, beets should be topped and sorted to remove all diseased or mechanically damaged roots. Large roots keep much better than small ones, because they shrivel more slowly.

Death of shoots and breakdown of the top part of roots are a common problem during long-term storage of beetroots at 0°C. Physiological disorders will appear very quickly during subsequent shelf-life at 20°C. Beetroots are not sensitive to chilling temperatures and should be stored as cold as possible without freezing.

Controlled atmosphere considerations

There is little or no benefit from CA or MA storage of beetroots. Elevated levels of CO₂ (>5%) in the atmosphere may cause increased decay.

Storage disorders

Bacterial soft rot, Brown rot, Rhizoctonia rot, Scab, Sclerotium rot, Watery soft rot.