An apparatus for storing perishable products, such as fruit and vegetables, by determining the respiratory quotient, i.e., the production of CO2 and the consumption of 02, of the products during storage in a dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) by using a chamber containing a sample of fruits, arranged inside the DCA cell. The respiratory quotient (RQ) is used to adjust the concentration of 02 in the cell so as to induce a slight and controlled anaerobic respiration with slight production of ethanol, which reduces the synthesis and action of ethylene and consequently delays fruit ripening. The present invention can be applied on different fruit species and control of the DCA cells can be in a fully automatic form.
