IMPROVING THE REFRIGERATED VEGETABLES STORAGE ROOMS PERFORMANCE

ABD- EL RAHMAN, MAGDA, M.

doi:10.21608/mjae.2009.108762

IMPROVING THE REFRIGERATED VEGETABLES STORAGE ROOMS PERFORMANCE

Document Type : Original Article

Author

MAGDA, M. ABD- EL RAHMAN

Senior Researcher, Agric. Eng. Res. Inst. (AEnRI), Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/mjae.2009.108762

Abstract

Adequate storage may reduce subsequent losses. Adequate storage involves proper regulation of temperature, humidity, air circulation, proper stacking pattern, regular inspection, and prompt produce disposal as soon as maximum storage life has been attained. One of the greatest impediments to preserving quality through refrigerated storage is the consumers' strong preference for freshly harvested produce and resistance to stored produce. This research aims to test the feasibility of improving the performance of cold storage rooms by using the evaporative cooler to control air relative humidity inside the storage. Some operating parameters such as, water flow rate of pad surface, (0.075, 0.120, 0.165 and 0.210 m3/h) and pads face air velocity (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 m/s) on the air temperature, and air relative humidity inside storage room were studied. The effect of such process on the performance of cold storage rooms in terms of tomatoes fruits storageability (weight loss percentage) and fruits firmness were also considered. The results revealed that, optimum values for the operations conditions were obtained at 0.165 m3/h of water flow rates of pad and 0.5 m/s of pad-face air velocity. The maximum deteriorated of tomatoes stored with evaporative cooler was (5.62 %), comparing with the deteriorated value of the control treatment (14.69 %). Tomatoes stored without evaporator cooler (control treatment) gave the lowest firmness (48.66 N), which was coupled with maximum total damage (14.69 %).

Main Subjects

Processing Engineering of Agricultural Products

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