Odour of perilla out-turned from MA2 after the marketing period was also superior. Similarly, in comparison with MA1 and control bags, produce stored in MA2 was significantly more turgid and had developed fewer rots. MA2 bags also played a significant role in maintaining the purple leaf colour. A survey conducted in the February 1999 Asian Foods Newsletter indicated that many readers wanted more information on postharvest handling. The best way to improve a process is to understand how it works.
Plants are alive.
The food that plants make for themselves is sugar. A green chemical called chlorophyll helps make sugar for the plant when sunlight hits the leaves. When a fruit or vegetable is harvested it is removed from the plant that is giving it food. Even a green leafy vegetable can't make enough food for itself because strong sunlight is needed to make sugars, and harvested vegetables shouldn't be stored in strong light. This means that a harvested vegetable will only stay alive for as long as it has stored food.