Potential for using tes in pre-cooling of cherries in turkey

摘要

Fresh agricultural crops are highly seasonal, and fruit must be transported over long distances to major market places. The fruit must be kept fresh and attractive for may days to maintain the fruit quality when they reach their markets. Initial cooling or removing the field heat of fruit after harvest is the most critical phase of the post-harvest procedure. The temperature of the fruit should be decreased down to 0 deg C within the 15-20 minutes in order to store the cherries longer. This can be achieved by hydro-cooling, where fruits pass through a tunnel of 0 deg C cold water for 15 minutes. Pre-cooled cherries maintain their firmness, brightness and the green colour of their stems. It is important to use a cooling method that will minimise the energy cost while providing the optimum operating conditions. Underground thermal energy storage systems (UTES) that increase energy conservation and efficiency provide an alternative to the current pre-cooling methods. In this paper, currently used pre-cooling methods of cherries and other thermal energy storage systems will be discussed.