CA-STORAGE OF HORSERADISH (ARMORACIA RUSTICANA PH. GÄRTN., B. MEY.ET SCHERB.)

Horseradish is required by the food industry continuously throughout the year. It can be harvested either after one year's cultivation during autumn, or after over-wintering in the soil during early spring (Wonneberger, 1978). Storage of horseradish up to 9 months nevertheless is necessary to guarantee an all-year-round supply for the food industry.

Literature so far indicates that storage temperatures for horseradish have to be held at -1 to -2°C, since very rapid loss of sharpness was assessed when temperatures had been only insignificantly higher during storage (Bünemann and Hansen, 1972). However, high relative humidities are necessary to avoid drying out of the roots.

Imported horseradish is usually packed in perforated plastic sacks. Such packaging is an ideal protection against transpiration. The product is stored and transported under very high humidity conditions.

One of the aims of our own experiments was to investigate whether horseradish can be stored at temperatures of O to 1°C (which are the temperatures usually held for root vegetable storage) and, simultaneously, restrict quality losses to a minimum level.

Root vegetables belong to crops sensitive to CO₂. Higher CO₂ concentrations take a negative effect on metabolism. Therefore, CA-storage usually is not recommended for longer storage periods, some authors even warn of using CA (Weichmann, 1977). Storage experiments with higher CO₂ contents were set up to examine the physiological response of horseradish.