Precooling of table grapes on a commercial scale as function of packaging

ABSTRACT Although precooling by forced air is widely used to remove field heat from fresh table grapes, there is no knowledge about its use and efficiency. Factors influencing the process include temperature and relative air humidity, amount and initial temperature of the fruits, air velocity, and packaging. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cooling effect and efficiency of forced air cooling on table grapes in two types of packages. The experimental method used randomized blocks, in a 2 × 3 factorials, corresponding to two package types (polystyrene and cardboard) and three heights on the pallet - lower, middle, and upper - with four replicates. The temperature gradient in the direction of the airflow was evaluated. There was heterogeneity in cooling, both vertically and horizontally, on the pallets with a central heat zone for both the directions. None of the packages was suitable for fast cooling as both types of packages showed a cooling time of 15.5 h; moreover, relative humidity values were far below the ideal value for table grapes.

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COMMERCIAL-SCALE FORCED-AIR COOLING OF PACKAGED STRAWBERRIES

Transactions of the ASAE ◽

10.13031/2013.15846 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 183-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

B. A. Anderson ◽

A. Sarkar ◽

J. F. Thompson ◽

R. P. Singh

Keyword(s):

Air Cooling ◽

Commercial Scale ◽

Forced Air

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Determination of the admissible initial temperature of ceramics in forced-air cooling

Glass and Ceramics ◽

10.1007/bf00677357 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 32 (11) ◽

pp. 753-755

Author(s):

S. A. Blokh

Keyword(s):

Initial Temperature ◽

Air Cooling ◽

Forced Air

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Unique techniques developed in Israel for short- and long-term storage of table grapes

Israel Journal of Plant Sciences ◽

10.1080/07929978.2016.1151289 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 2-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Amnon Lichter ◽

Tatiana Kaplunov ◽

Yohanan Zutahy ◽

Susan Lurie

Keyword(s):

Gray Mold ◽

Dust Particles ◽

Prolonged Storage ◽

Air Cooling ◽

Table Grapes ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Grape Quality ◽

Dual Release ◽

Forced Air ◽

Term Storage

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea and rachis browning due to desiccation are the two main factors that reduce table grape quality after harvest. For over 90 years treatments with the gas sulfur dioxide (SO2) have been in use to control decay. In Israel, two methods have been developed for grape storage: one for short-term storage and shipping, and one for extended storage of late ripening cultivars. The first is based on storage in cardboard boxes without liners, which shortens the forced air cooling time due to the reduction in packaging material. After cooling the pallets are wrapped around with linear low density polyethylene to contain the SO2 and the humidity. The second method involves storage in plastic boxes with modification of commercially available dual release SO2 pads, so that the pads release a continuous low rate of SO2 for a long period of over 4 months in cold storage. In this case as well, the pallet is wrapped on all sides in order to maintain the level of SO2 and high humidity. Moreover, for late season grapes, we established the efficacy of a postharvest disinfection treatment with ethanol in order to reduce the inoculum load before extended storage and to clean the grapes from accumulation of dust particles. These techniques allow prolonged storage for more than 3 months with minimal decay development combined with retention of grape quality.

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Forced Air Precooling Studies of Perishable Food Products

International Journal of Food Engineering ◽

10.2202/1556-3758.1119 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 3 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Omer Adil Zainal Albayati ◽

Ravi Kumar ◽

Gopal Chauhan

Keyword(s):

Experimental Investigation ◽

Cold Storage ◽

Food Item ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Food Product ◽

Food Products ◽

Air Cooling ◽

Air Velocity ◽

Cold Air ◽

Forced Air

Food products of perishable nature are needed to be preserved from spoiling using the precooling technique. Precooling is the process of cooling fruits and vegetables as soon as possible after the harvest and prior to the transportation over long distances to a cold storage warehouse and marketing. Therefore, an experimental investigation has been carried out to study the temperature variation of different food products viz. apple, papaya and grape during the precooling process. Forced air cooling of food products was done by placing the particular food item inside a 4 m long rectangular air duct of 300 mm x 300 mm section. The temperature of cold air was in a range of 4-5 oC and the air velocity varied from 1.6 m/s to 4.1 m/s. The temperature of food product was measured at different radial locations inside the product. The effect of air velocity on the temperature profile of food product was observed and it has been found that the proper choice of cold air velocity can reduce the cooling time of certain food product up to 33 percent, thus, resulting in the saving of energy.

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Optimization of Modelling of storage conditions in forced Air cooling of SAPOTA (MANILKARAZAPOTA) using Response Surface Methodology

International Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering Research ◽

10.30534/ijeter/2021/10962021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 669-674

Keyword(s):

Response Surface Methodology ◽

Shelf Life ◽

Response Surface ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Storage Conditions ◽

Air Cooling ◽

Air Velocity ◽

Medium Temperature ◽

Cooling Medium ◽

Forced Air

Field heat can cause rapid deterioration of horticultural crops and therefore it is desirable to remove this heat as quickly as possible after harvesting, and the faster the deteriorative processes are retarded. Thegoal of the present study was to apply Response surface methodology (RSM) to search for the best conditions of Forced Air-Cooling system for extending the shelf life of Sapota.The parameters which affect the cooling rate the most were identified as Cooling Medium temperature (4 ̊C, 8 ̊C and 25 ̊C), Fruit Size (0.00454 m, 0.00567m and 0.00662 m) andCooling Air Velocity (0.5 m/s, 1.5 m/s and 2.5 m/s) at which the produce is stored. Based on general factorial design of RSM shelf life (number of days) as a response, 27 (33) treatments were conducted.Optimum storage conditions for maximizing the shelf life wereidentified as Cooling Medium temperature (4 ̊C), Fruit Size (40-50 mm) and Cooling Air Velocity (2.5 m/s). Under this optimum condition, the predicted shelf life of the stored Sapota and the experimental results gave close values of less than 1.03 %. The number of days of shelf life extended for Sapota is 28days. Physio-chemical properties and microbial quality of stored Sapota was also evaluated. Percentage Loss in Weight was found to be maximum for control sample (13 %) whereas minimum for the cooled sample (0.04-0.123%). TSSincreased about 5%-7% for controlbut whereas for cooled sapota it was not more than 1-2%.

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Air circulation in a gastrointestinal light source box and endoscope in the era of SARS-CoV-2 and airborne transmission of microorganisms

Endoscopy International Open ◽

10.1055/a-1336-3280 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 09 (03) ◽

pp. E482-E486

Author(s):

Stanislas Chaussade ◽

Einas Abou Ali ◽

Rachel Hallit ◽

Arthur Belle ◽

Maximilien Barret ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Light Source ◽

Cooling System ◽

Air Cooling ◽

Airborne Transmission ◽

Plastic Tube ◽

Care Workers ◽

Air Cooling System ◽

Forced Air ◽

Air Circulation ◽

Closed Environment

Abstract Background and study aims The role that air circulation through a gastrointestinal endoscopy system plays in airborne transmission of microorganisms has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the potential risk of transmission and potential improvements in the system. Methods We investigated and described air circulation into gastrointestinal endoscopes from Fujifilm, Olympus, and Pentax. Results The light source box contains a lamp, either Xenon or LED. The temperature of the light is high and is regulated by a forced-air cooling system to maintain a stable temperature in the middle of the box. The air used by the forced-air cooling system is sucked from the closed environment of the patient through an aeration port, located close to the light source and evacuated out of the box by one or two ventilators. No filter exists to avoid dispersion of particles outside the processor box. The light source box also contains an insufflation air pump. The air is sucked from the light source box through one or two holes in the air pump and pushed from the air pump into the air pipe of the endoscope through a plastic tube. Because the air pump does not have a dedicated HEPA filter, transmission of microorganisms cannot be excluded. Conclusions Changes are necessary to prevent airborne transmission. Exclusive use of an external CO2 pump and wrapping the endoscope platform with a plastic film will limit scatter of microorganisms. In the era of pandemic virus with airborne transmission, improvements in gastrointestinal ventilation systems are necessary to avoid contamination of patients and health care workers.

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