1.5 LOSS OF QUALITY

Loss of quality occurs when the sucrose concentration reduces, the nonsucrose component increases, or when processable material is lost. The primary mechanisms for loss of quality are respiration, moulds and rots, freezing and thawing, and mechanical damage. There are numerous interactions between these processes and many factors that can drive them. Relative quality before storage should not be taken as an indicator of relative storability. High sucrose concentration roots do likely store better (Hoffmann et al., 2018), but quality prior to storage does not capture a lot of the key determinates of quality after storage.