Numerical and Experimental Investigation on Forced-Air Cooling of Commercial Packaged Strawberries

Abstract

The numerical simulation model of forced-air cooling of strawberries in a clamshell and a box was established by using computational fluid dynamics method. The cooling process of the simulation and the experiment results agreed well in different conditions, indicating that the simulation model was validated. The results showed that the 7/8 cooling time was 180 min, 135 min, 108 min and 100 min and the cooling uniformity coefficients were 0.31, 0.22, 0.24, 0.26 when the diameters of B-vent(the vent on the box) were 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, respectively. The 7/8 cooling time decreased and the cooling uniformity coefficient improved, when the shape of C-vent (the vent on the clamshell) changed from round to rectangular. The 7/8 cooling time also deceased and the cooling uniformity coefficient increased, when the area of C-vent with both round and rectangular shapes increased. These results indicate that both B-vent and C-vent had significant effect on reducing the cooling time and the improving cooling uniformity for strawberries, It is suggested that the optimized vent ratio of B-vent (the diameter is 40 mm) and C-vent (15 mm round or 20 mm × 15 mm rectangular) for the current commercial packaged strawberries were 9.4 % and 8.5 %, respectively.

Biodegradable Coatings Based on Cassava Starch and Poly(Vinyl Alcohol): Potential Application for Prolonging the Shelf Life of Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) cv. San Andreas

“…Postharvest losses of strawberries can reach 40%. , Due to their high respiration rate, strawberries can only be stored for 1 to 2 days at room temperature . Furthermore, as strawberries are nonclimacteric fruits, they are harvested almost fully ripe, presenting high water activity, high sugar content, and low pH .…”

“…18,19 Due to their high respiration rate, strawberries can only be stored for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. 20 Furthermore, as strawberries are nonclimacteric fruits, they are harvested almost fully ripe, presenting high water activity, high sugar content, and low pH. 21 This makes strawberries susceptible to physiological deterioration and also to yeast and mold.…”

Interactions between Package Design, Airflow, Heat and Mass Transfer, and Logistics in Cold Chain Facilities for Horticultural Products

“…Ventilated packages (cartons, bins, corrugated trays, and plastic clamshells) should be designed to ensure uniform airflow distribution and produce uniform cooling. Several studies on packaging designs were conducted to understand the mechanisms by which different factors affect the rate and homogeneity of the ventilation and cooling processes [16,41,[85][86][87][88]. Focus areas were, amongst others, the number, shape, or position of vent holes, the total open area of the packaging, the impact of internal packaging (plastic liners, trays), and the occurrence of airflow bypass [17].…”

“…The uniformity of products cooling within a box increases with the number of vents added [88]. But on the other hand, the number, area, and shape of the vent hole should not be blindly increased [87] as it negatively affects the mechanical strength. One of the critical parameters that can be studied at this scale is the air-inflow velocity.…”

Digital twins for selecting the optimal ventilated strawberry packaging based on the unique hygrothermal conditions of a shipment from farm to retailer

“…Greek symbols γ gamma function parameterized between 0 and 1 for different biokinetic factors [-]. δa water vapor permeability of air [kg m -1 s -1 Pa which strawberries can only be stored for 1-2 days at room temperature (Wang et al, 2019). Even under optimal conditions, viz.…”