Design Aspects in the Precooling Process of Fresh Produce

摘要

Temperature is the most single important factor which affects the storage life and the quality of fresh produce. The process of precooling is the removal of field heat as soon as possible after harvest since field heat arrest the deterioration and senescence process. The precooling process can be achieved via different methods. Forced air precooling is the most common technique and is adapted to many commodities. The classification of the forced air precooling process includes wet deck system and thedry coil technique. Wet deck system is a mechanism which provides air of low temperature and higher level of relative humidity which minimizes the weight loss of produce during the process of cooling. Dry coil system uses a direct expansion or secondarycoolant coil sized to operate at a small temperature difference which will maintain a high relative humidity of the leaving air stream. An evaluation of both systems is presented through the current study that exhibits a description of the theory behindeach system and its different components. Through this study, it is aimed to promote interest in precooling and encourage its use on a more widespread basis via the illustration of the different systems details.