Proper Agricultural Cooling of Fruits & Vegetables – Cold Storage affects Farmers Profits
With proper Agricultural Cooling and energy efficient cold storage facilities, fruit farmers may opt to hold fruit at the farm and release them into the market once market prices are higher than at harvest.
Research has shown that fruit quality in terms of texture and taste deteriorates more rapidly than surface appearance. For fruit, it is suggested that rapid removal of field heat is the most important aspect for long term acceptance of the fruit to consumers.
CA atmospheres have a minor positive effect, but less of an overall positive effect than the sequence of handling and cooling right after harvest. CA contains negative physiological aspects due to the oxygen and carbon dioxide stresses that proper temperature and humidity management do not exhibit.
Fruit Decay is Directly Heat Related
Decay rates of fruits are directly affected by its Respiration Rate at the holding temperature. The below charts show the USDA data for selected fruits at various temperatures. The message is clear. Cool your produce to its target temperature and RH to squeeze out more life out of your products and preserve farm profits! KOOLJET can help.
Winter Apples
Strawberries
Blueberries
