Why can storing vegetables below the proper temperature cause chilling injury?

In the context of vegetable farming, the premise that chilling injury is caused by storing vegetables below the "proper" temperature is accurate, as specific crops have distinct temperature requirements for preservation.

Storing certain vegetables at temperatures below their specific tolerance levels can lead to chilling injury, which results in a rapid loss of quality. While low-temperature storage is essential for maintaining the quality of many leafy vegetables, it is not universally beneficial for all produce. When vegetables are exposed to temperatures that are too low for their biological needs, it disrupts their natural life processes and can cause physiological damage to the tissues.12

To avoid such deterioration, it is important to recognize that different crops require specific storage conditions. For instance, while refrigeration is a standard method for extending shelf life and slowing decay, improper temperature regulation—specifically dropping below the threshold suitable for a particular vegetable—triggers this injury. Proper management of the storage environment, including precise control of temperature and humidity, is therefore critical to maintaining the fresh, living state of the produce and preventing the gross deterioration that occurs when tissues are damaged by cold.21