2.3. Fruit weight losses, total soluble solids and titratable acidity.
Fruit weight losses were measured on 60 polyethylene boxes or punnets of 200 g of fruit equipped with inlet-outlet ports for each storage condition, using analytical balance. The weight was monitored on the same boxes all along the distribution chain: early and late phases of LT and during SL for 1 and 2 days following 7 days of cold (LTA and LTC). Three replicates per treatment (10 berries per sample) were ground in an electric juice extractor. The obtained clear juice without achenes was used for the determination of total soluble solids (TSS), pH-value and titratable acidity (TA). TSS was measured using a digital and temperature-compensated refractometer (Atago, Co, Tokyo, Japan) that detects reducing sugars and other soluble compounds. In the juice of strawberry fruit, the pH-value was determined with a pH meter. Titratable acidity was determined by tritration with 0.1 N NaOH to pH 8.1 (Mettler DL-70, Mettler –Toledo, Spain) and the results were expressed as citric acid equivalents, which is the main organic acid in strawberry fruit, and expressed per fresh weight.