Keeping Your Produce Fresh: Pre-cooling and Refrigeration Techniques
Fruit and Vegetable Pre-cooling and Refrigeration are crucial components of preservation technology that play a vital role in maintaining freshness, extending shelf life, and reducing losses. This article will delve into the importance of pre-cooling, methods of pre-cooling, and the principles and practices of refrigeration. I. Importance of Pre-cooling After harvest, fruits and vegetables continue to respire, generating heat, and carry significant field heat due to environmental temperatures. If this heat is not promptly removed, internal temperatures rise, accelerating the ripening process and leading to quality degradation or spoilage. Pre-cooling aims to reduce the temperature of the produce to an appropriate low level as quickly as possible, slowing down physiological activities and extending shelf life. II. Methods of Pre-cooling 1. Forced Air Cooling in Cold Storage Principle : Fans blow cold air over the produce, facilitating heat exchange and cooling. Featur...