The deterioration index increased during storage for both primary and secondary florets (Fig. 1B). However, broccoli from primary heads showed already lower deterioration than lateral florets after 14 days at 4 C. The differences were even higher at the end of the storage period (Fig. 1A. Secondary broccoli florets also were more susceptible to dehydration. After 14 d of storage the weight loss was 2.5 and 5.5% for primary and secondary broccoli respectively (Fig. 1C).