Fruit packaging is highly impactful in temperature and humidity distribution for post-harvest fresh fruit cooling and conservation. It is also the most flexible part on fruit production and should be able to increase shelf-life by deterring adverse conditions. However, packaging thermal performance during cold storage where it is displayed to the internal airflow is influenced by the size and position of vent-holes. In this study airflow inside the fruit box and fruits thermal behaviour are evaluated in order to determine differences between three prototype package models. Models differ from each other by the holes' configuration and size. Furthermore, models' performance is compared to a commercially available box of similar dimensions. Experimental tests were carried out in three stacked boxes, equipped with temperature and humidity sensors, and placed inside a refrigeration chamber with forced air cooling. Packaging box CFD models of each prototype wall were developed to predict the airflow and heat transfer during storage in a refrigeration chamber. Models predictions were validated by experiments results. According with simulation results, all prototypes have better thermal performance than the commercial model. However, significant performance differences between prototype walls were found. Fewer, larger and strategically distributed vent-holes allow a better result in terms of temperature homogeneity inside the box and significant reduction in fruit cooling times.

Post-harvest cold storage of peaches is an essential element to maintain the quality of the fruits without any loss. This work aims to present a CFD model, to predict airflow patterns and temperature profiles in ventilated packaging systems, during the forced-air cooling of Peaches stored in a cold chamber. Transient CFD simulations are performed for the chamber containing four ventilated boxes and the evaluation of the results show that the temperature removal near the vent holes and the hand holes is relatively high when compared to other regions of the packaging box. This preliminary study reveals the airflow behavior develop an uneven temperature distribution within the box. To overcome the flaws, future work is focused on modifying the vent hole design to improve the airflow phenomenon to maintain the temperature homogeneity throughout the box. Keywords: Peach, Computational fluid dynamics, Airflow, Heat transfer, Packaging

The shelf life of perishable products depends mainly on the conservation of air temperature. Packaging boxes are usually used to accommodate food products during cold storage and transport and/or display. The design of the vent-holes of the packaging box must promote cold airflow and remove the field heat of the produce after harvest at a short time. This study describes the influence of the vent-holes design and its performance during cold storage. The cooling performance of the different packaging boxes is evaluated experimentally and numerically using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Three new packaging box configurations with the same size but different vent-holes design (size, shape and position) and a reference box are modelled. The transient three-dimensional CFD model predicts the airflow pattern and temperature distribution within the different packaging boxes. The best thermal performance packaging achieved a fruit model temperature 1.5 K to 5 K lower than the other configurations at the end of 8 h of cooling. These predictions allow the development of new packaging box designs that promote the shelf-life extension of perishable products.

Appropriate measures have been taken to reduce energy requirements for cold chain applications. Thermal energy storage is an accepted method to reduce the need for electrical energy after harvesting fresh horticultural produce. The use of phase change materials (PCM) in postharvest storage, outside of a temperature-controlled environment, extends shelf life and keeps food at the ideal temperature. This review focuses on the various trials using PCM to improve cold chain effectiveness. It also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each type of storage using different PCM, as well as the likely and potentially promising applications of thermal energy storage in the cold chain.

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