Precooling Fruits and Vegetables in Georgia

Changying Charlie Li Extension Agriculture Engineer

ruits and vegetables begin to deteriorate after they are harvested and separated from their growing environment. The rate of deterioration defines how long they will be acceptable for consumption. This is known as shelf life. To preserve the quality of fruits and vegetables and maximize profits for growers, it is critical to control the temperature of fresh produce and minimize the amount of time that products are exposed to detrimental temperatures. Both temperature and relative humidity are important during the postharvest handling of fruits and vegetables. Heat, in particular, decreases produce quality and reduces market shelf life. Heat damage can come from two interrelated sources: the fields temperature at harvest and the produces natural respiration. High field temperatures raise product temperatures; therefore, it is important to cool produce as rapidly as possible to avoid tissue damage. Some products that are sensitive to temperature abuse can experience excessive weight loss when field temperatures are too high. Some growers harvest their products at night to avoid excessive daytime heat. The second source of heat comes from natural respiration. Fruits and vegetables are still alive after they are harvested and they react with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, water and heat. Although this heat of respiration varies with different fruits and vegetables, in general as product temperature increases, respiration and heat generation also increase, shortening the shelf life. Heat generation may be expressed as British thermal units (Btu). Typical rates of heat respiration for different fruits and vegetables at various temperatures can be found in Table 1.

Relative humidity also affects the quality and shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Moisture loss is increased by low relative humidity and is a major cause of deterioration. Fruits and vegetables contain 80 to 85 percent water. The relative humidity (RH) of the intercellular spaces of fruits and vegetables is approximately 99 percent. If the air surrounding the product has humidity less than 99 percent, moisture will move out of the plant tissue into the air. Keeping the humidity high in the storage environment is the best method to reduce moisture loss. Waxing, trimming and packing produce in plastic bags can also reduce moisture loss. Recommended storage temperatures, relative humidity, storage life, freezing points and specific heat guidelines for various fruits and vegetables can be found in Table 2. Several precooling methods can be used to reduce field heat and heat of respiration. Current practices include room cooling, forced-air cooling, hydrocooling, package-icing and vacuum cooling. In this publication, precooling is defined as a cooling process that quickly removes heat from products after harvest and before storage or shipping. The terms precooling and cooling are used interchangeably.

Precooling Methods
Room cooling Room cooling is a common and simple precooling method that exposes produce to cold air in a refrigerated room. Room cooling is usually used for products that have a relatively long storage life, such as sweet potatoes, apples and pears. These products are cooled

and stored in the same room. In general, a simple and effective arrangement is to discharge cold air into a cooling room horizontally just below the ceiling. The air sweeps the ceiling and returns to the cooling coils after circulating through the produce on the floor. There should be enough refrigerated air volume to provide adequate cooling. The air velocity should be kept between 200 and 400 feet per minute around and between cooling containers. When cooling is complete, air velocity should be reduced to the lowest level that will keep produce cool usually 10 to 20 feet per minute. One benefit of room cooling is that both the cooling and storage can be done in the same room and the produce does not need to be re-handled. In addition, room cooling requires a lower refrigeration load than other, faster cooling methods, as explained later. However, room cooling has several major disadvantages that may limit its use. First, at 20 to 100 hours to cool the product to the seven-eighths cooling temperature (as explained later), room cooling is too slow for most commodities, particularly with containers that have minimal open air spaces. Second, it requires a relatively large empty floor space between stacked containers to achieve an optimal cooling effect. Third, it may cause serious water loss for fresh produce due to high air velocities (although air velocity in room cooling should be lower than in forced-air cooling). Fourth, it is difficult to maintain control of the cooling process. Produce in newer, more-closed containers (or in containers tightly stacked on pallets) is particularly hard to cool through room cooling. Because of these limitations, the produce industry is increasing the use of faster cooling methods to protect more perishable produce and to facilitate shipping soon after harvest. Forced-air cooling Forced-air cooling is the most widely used precooling method in commercial practice. It is particularly popular among small operations because of its ability to handle a wide variety of products. It can rapidly aircool produce by creating an air pressure difference on opposite faces of stacks of vented containers (Figure 2). This pressure difference forces air through the stacks and carries heat away. Forced-air cooling has several advantages over room cooling. For instance, forced-air cooling is much faster
Precooling Fruits and Vegetables

than room cooling because the cold air generally cools the produce by flowing around the individual fruits or vegetables in the containers. Forced-air cooling usually cools fresh produce in one to ten hours, which is one-tenth the time needed for room cooling. Second, adjusting the volume of air can control the cooling speed. Rapid cooling can be accomplished with adequate refrigeration and a large volume of airflow per unit of produce. Third, an existing room cooling system can be converted to forced-air, which could reduce capital costs if enough refrigeration capacity is available from the existing room cooling system. One drawback of forced-air cooling is that it can cause water loss from the fresh produce due to air movement unless humidity is kept near 100 percent. To reduce water loss, fresh produce should be cooled as quickly as possible after harvest using high airflow rates. For a forced-air system to work effectively, at least 4 percent of the carton area should be vented to allow airflow. Vents should be vertical slots at least -inch wide that extend to within 1 1/2 inches of the top and bottom of container. Various stacking arrangements can be made for a forced-air cooler. In tunnel-type forced-air cooling, the product is stacked in two rows far enough apart to accommodate the fans with the tarp covering the gap between the rows (both on top of the rows and at the end away from the fan) as shown in Figures 1 and 2. When the product is adequately cooled, the fan should be turned off and the tarp should be rolled up. Other forced-air cooling arrangements include cold wall, serpentine cooling and evaporative forced-air cooling.

Figure 1. A typical commercial tunnel-type forced-air cooling system in Georgia (Courtesy of Lewis Taylor Farm).

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To achieve optimal cooling and save energy, hydrocoolers should be insulated. Tests have showed that less than half of the refrigeration used in most conveyor-type hydrocoolers was lost due to insufficient insulation. Despite advantages such as a fast cooling rate and no water loss in fresh produce, hydrocooling does have disadvantages. First, both the product to be cooled and the containers must withstand wetness and chemicals such as chlorine. Second, due to limited capacity, some arriving produce may have to wait in a warmer environment if the cooler has reached its maximum capacity (this limitation can be mitigated by placing the hycrocooling facility inside a cold room). Third, re-handling cooled products is usually needed for Figure 2. Schematic diagram of airflow in forced-air cooling. Proper placement of containers and use of baffles blocks air either immediate shipping or transferring the produce to a cold storage room. Although there are some food return everywhere except through side vents in containers. Thus, air is forced to pass through containers and around safety concerns related to hydrocooling, properly usproduce to return to exhaust fans. As air is exhausted from ing active chlorine or ozone to disinfect the water used the center chamber, a slight pressure drop occurs across in the process can reduce the potential risk of spreadthe produce. ing any contamination. Hydrocooling Hydrocooling is one of the fastest precooling methods. Fruits and vegetables can be cooled rapidly by bringing them in contact with cold moving water (Figure 3). One main advantage of hydrocooling is that it does not remove water from the produce and may even revive slightly wilted produce. For efficient hydrocooling, water should come in contact with as much of the surface of each fruit or vegetable as possible. Water also must be kept as cold as possible without endangering produce. In commercial practices, water temperature is usually kept around 31F except for chilling sensitive commodities. Conveyor hydrocoolers are the most common. Produce in bulk or in containers is carried on a conveyor through a shower of water. To avoid channeling (water pouring through larger openings where there is less resistance), it is necessary to either use a heavy shower over a shallow depth of produce or proportion the shower and the drainage from the bottom of containers so that the containers fill partly or entirely with water. Drainage must be sufficient to keep the water in the containers moving and to remove all water before containers leave the hydrocooler.
Figure 3. A commercial hydrocooler in Georgia (Courtesy of Lewis Taylor Farm).

Package-icing Packing crushed ice in containers with produce is one of the oldest and fastest cooling methods, and is particularly useful for cooling field-packed vegetables such as broccoli. It offers the advantage of fast cooling when the product directly contacts the ice, although the cooling rate could be significantly reduced when the ice melts. Another advantage is that the excess ice on the top of the product provides cooling during and after transportation.
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UGA Cooperative Extension Circular 1004

It should be noted that there are several limitations to package-icing. First, the product must be tolerant of the wet condition at 32F for a prolonged time. Second, the container should also be able to withstand wet conditions. Third, since the typical weight of the ice for initial cooling is equivalent to 30 percent of the product weight, this can increase the freight load significantly. Finally, the water from the melted ice could be a potential source of contamination (chlorine is usually added to the ice to address this issue).

the atmospheric pressure is reduced below the boiling temperature of water. Leafy vegetables with a large surface area to mass ratio (such as iceberg lettuce) are well suited for this cooling method and can be cooled on a large scale by putting them in air-tight chambers and pumping out air and water vapor using steam-jet pumps. This method can cool packed produce quickly and uniformly in large loads (usually in 20 minutes to two hours), but container walls or other barriers that slow down evaporation can seriously inhibit cooling.

Like any other cooling method, vacuum cooling also has its limitations. One major disadvantage is that it can create weight loss from the product due to evaporated water. It is estimated that weight loss can be as high as 1 percent of the product weight for every 11F, which is observable for some fresh produce. One method to overcome this drawback is to add water to the surface of the product using a spray system during the vacuum cooling process. However, it should be noted that the water used must be disinfected to avoid Figure 4. A slush ice type of package-icing cooler in Georgia any food safety concerns.
(Courtesy of Lewis Taylor Farm).

Vacuum-cooling equipment is expensive and requires skilled operators. To be economically feasible, there must be a large daily and annual output of cooled produce. It is best if the vacuum cooler is either located close to a long-season production area or is portable so it can be moved to locations where there is such production.

Figure 6. Vacuum cooler (Courtesy of Paul Sumner) Figure 5. A clamshell type of package-icing cooler used for broccoli in Georgia (Courtesy of Lewis Taylor Farm).

Cooling Method Selection Criteria

Vacuum cooling Vacuum cooling cools fresh produce based on the principle of evaporation cooling: The moisture evaporates and takes heat away from the fresh produce when
Precooling Fruits and Vegetables

The five cooling methods described in this publication have their advantages and disadvantages. Some of the methods may not be suitable for certain fruits and vegetables due to physiological constraints. For in4
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stance, some fruits and vegetables (such as berries and mushrooms) are prone to diseases under wet conditions. Table 3 lists recommended cooling methods for typical fresh products. In addition to the compatibility issue, product temperature requirements, cooling system costs and refrigeration capacity are several major factors that growers need to consider when planning to build a precooling facility. The product temperature requirement is the most important issue to consider when building a precooling facility. Temperature requirements for various fruits and vegetables are shown in Table 2. If a grower handles multiple products with different optimal storage temperatures, it is usually difficult to use just one cooler. For instance, one large vegetable shipper in Georgia has four different precooling systems in his packing shed. It is particularly important that chillsensitive commodities not be stored below the critical threshold temperatures or damage may result. Cost of the cooling system, including capital, energy, labor and other equipment, is another important factor to consider. Liquid ice coolers are the most expensive, followed by vacuum coolers, forced-air coolers, hydrocoolers and room coolers. However, other considerations should be factored in as well. For instance, a vacuum cooler is portable and can be moved to different production areas, which increases the frequency of its usage and consequently reduces its capital costs per unit cooled. Energy costs can also differ significantly. The vacuum cooler is the most energy-intensive cooling method, followed by the hydrocooler, water spray vacuum cooler, package-icing cooler and forced-air cooler. Labor and other equipment costs should also be considered when comparing different cooling systems, especially if special packaging (e.g., waxed box or RPC box) is required. Refrigeration capacity estimation is important for selecting the right cooler. Several factors need to be considered, such as the heat load (the amount of product to be cooled), the initial temperature of the product, the rate of cooling, the insulation condition of the cold room and other heat sources generated from electrical components in the cooling facility (motors, lights, people, etc.). A detailed example of how to calculate refrigeration load is provided in the following section.

Refrigeration Load Calculation

Table 2 lists optimal temperatures for fruits and vegetables. In most commercial practices, however, products are rarely cooled to the optimal temperature due to the relatively high costs and longer precooling time. Instead, for most commercial practices, products are cooled to seven-eighths cooling temperature or halfcooling temperature and then moved from the cooler to a cold room for further cooling. The seven-eighths cooling temperature is the temperature that is seven-eighths of the temperature difference between the product and the coolant. The seveneighths cooling time is the time required to cool the product to the seven-eighths cooling temperature. Similarly, the half-cooling time is the time required to cool the product to reach the half-cooling temperature. For example, if cabbage is harvested at 90 F and cooled in a forced-air cooler with a cooling air temperature of 30 F, the seven-eighths cooling temperature is 37.5 F and the half-cooling temperature is 60 F. As a rule of thumb, the seven-eighths cooling time is usually three times the half-cooling time. The seveneighths cooling time is generally used in commercial precooling practices because it is constant for a given product cooled by a specific cooling method no matter what temperatures the product and coolant are. Example To properly design a cooling system and select the appropriate cooling equipment, it is important to know the refrigeration load of the product to be cooled. Below is an example of how to calculate the refrigeration load for Chinese cabbage using the forced-air cooling method (the most widely used precooling method). In this example, we assume that there are two batches of Chinese cabbage loaded in the cooling facility during the afternoon (between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.). The first batch of cabbage is loaded at 1:00 p.m. with an initial temperature of 86 F. The second batch of cabbage is loaded at 3:00 p.m. with an initial temperature of 90 F. Both batches weigh 8,000 pounds. We assume that the seven-eighths cooling time for Chinese cabbage is three hours. The cooling air temperature is 31 F. The specific heat of the Chinese cabbage is 0.96 Btu/lb/F. The refrigeration capacity of the coolant is 12,000 Btuh/ton.

UGA Cooperative Extension Circular 1004

Precooling Fruits and Vegetables

The refrigeration load of the forced-air cooling system can be calculated by the following equation: RT= Where: (cpTm) k

In practice, the total refrigeration load is calculated by the following equation: RTP=RTT (1 + Q1 + Q2) Where: RTP = the practical refrigeration load (tons). RTT = the theoretical peak refrigeration load (tons). Q1 = the coefficient to include other heat loads in the cooling facility, such as the motor, lights, people and heat infiltration from outside. It is usually set at 0.25. Q2 = the safety coefficient to account for other unexpected heat loads such as cooling unusually warm products. It is usually set at 0.15. In this example, the final practical refrigeration load (RTP) is 32.6 tons.

RT = the refrigeration capacity (tons). T = the temperature drop (F)/hour during the cooling period. In this case, since the seven-eighths cooling time for Chinese cabbage is three hours and the half-cooling time equals one third of the seven-eighths cooling time, the temperature drop T within one hour is the half-cooling temperature (i.e., the initial temperature difference between the cold air (31 F) and the product (86 F) is (86-31)/2 = 27.5 F). m = the weight of the product (in pounds). In this case, m = 8,000 pounds. cp = the heat capacity of the product (Btu/lb/F). For Chinese cabbage, cp is 0.96 Btu/lb/F (data for other products can be found in Table 2). k = the refrigeration capacity (Btuh/ton) of the coolant. In this case, k=12,000 Btuh/ton. As calculated in Table 4, the peak refrigeration load is 23.3 tons at 3:00 p.m.

Summary

Precooling is one of the most important procedures used to maintain the quality of fruits and vegetables after harvest and before storage or shipping. There are five major precooling methods practiced in Georgia: room cooling, forced-air cooling, hydrocooling, package-icing and vacuum cooling. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Selecting the right precooling method for the product depends on several factors, such as the suitability of the cooling method to the specific product, temperature requirement of the product, cooling rate, cost and refrigeration load.

Table 4. Peak refrigeration load calculation example for Chinese cabbage in a forced-air cooling system. Time 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 8,000 Product load (lbs.) 8,000 Product temperature (F) 1:00 p.m. 86 58.5 44.8 37.9 90 60.5 45.8 38.4 3:00 p.m. Temperature drop T (F/h) 1:00 p.m. 27.5 13.8 6.9 29.5 14.8 7.4 3:00 p.m. Refrigeration load for each batch (tons) 1:00 p.m. 17.6 8.8 4.4 18.9 9.4 4.7 3:00 p.m. 17.6 8.8 23.3 9.4 4.7 Total load (tons)

Precooling Fruits and Vegetables

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The optimal temperatures of the fruits and vegetables listed in Table 2 provide guidelines for growers, but are rarely achieved during the precooling process in most commercial practices due to the high costs and longer cooling time required. In practice, seveneighths cooling temperature or half-cooling temperature is used. Care should be taken when cooling chillsensitive products to avoid chilling injury.

References

Boyette, M.D., et al. AG-413-8, Postharvest Cooling and Handling of Green Beans and Field Peas. North Carolina State University. Boyette, M.D. et al. AG-414-3, Forced-air Cooling. North Carolina State University. Boyette, M.D. et al. AG-414-4, Hydrocooling. North Carolina State University. USDA ARS. The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks. Handbook 66, 2004. J. F. Thompson, F. G. Mitchell, and R. F. Kasmire. 2002. Cooling Horticultural Commodities. In Postharvest Technology of Horticulture Crops. Edited by Kader, A. A. 2002. Davis, Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center, University of California Davis. Publication 3311. M. T. Talbot, S. A. Sargent, and J. K. Brecht. 2002. Cooling Florida Sweet Corn. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Service. J. F. Thompson, F. G. Mitchell, T. R. Rumsey, R.F. Kasmire, C. H. Crisosto. 2008. Commercial Cooling of Fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Revised Edition. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Publication 21567. Paul E. Sumner. 1987. Commercial Cooling of Georgia Fruits and Vegetables. University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Cooperative Extension Bulletin 972.

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Precooling Fruits and Vegetables

Table 1: Summary of respiration rates for fresh fruits and vegetables when stored at various temperatures. 32F Commodity Apples, fall Apricot Beans, snap Blackberry Blueberry Broccoli Cabbage Carrot (topped) Cauliflower Cucumber Eggplant American Japanese White egg Fig Grape, American Grape, muscadine Grape, table Honeydew melon Leek Lettuce Head Leaf Nectarine (ripe) Cantaloupe Okra Onion Pea Garden Edible pod Peach (ripe) Pepper Persimmon Plum (ripe) Prickly pear Radish Topped Bunched with tops Raspberry Southern pea Whole pods Shelled peas 5280 6380
3 3

41F 1320 nd 7480 7920 2420 7480 2420 4400 4620 nd nd nd nd 2860 1100 2860 1540 1760 5500 3740 6600 nd 2200 8800 1100 14080 14080 nd 1540 nd nd nd 4400 2200 5060 5500 nd

50F 1980 3520 12760 13640 6380 17820 3960 6820 7480 5720 nd nd nd 4620 1760 nd 2860 3080 13200 6820 8580 4400 3300 20020 1540 18920 19580 4400 2640 nd 2200 nd 7480 3520 7700 nd nd

59F 3300 nd 20240 16500 10560 37400 6160 8800 10120 6380 15180 28820 24860 nd 3520 nd nd 5280 21120 8580 13860 nd 8140 32120 1540 38500 38720 nd 5940 nd nd nd 16280 7040 9240 nd nd
2 2 2

68F 4400 8800 28600 25300 15400 66000 9240 5500 17380 6820 nd nd nd 11000 7260 11220 5940 6600 24200 12320 22220 19140 12100 57420 1760 59620 60060 19140 7480 4840 4400 7040 28600 11220 27500 32560 27720

77F nd1 nd nd nd 22220 nd 13640 nd 20240 8140 nd nd nd nd 8580 nd nd 7260 25300 18040 32340 nd 14740 75900 nd 68860 nd nd nd nd nd nd 37840 16500 nd nd nd

Btu per ton per day at indicated temperature 660 1320 4400 4180 1320 4620 1100 3300 3740 nd nd nd nd 1320 660 2200 660 nd 3300 2640 5060 1100 1320 4620 660 8360 8580 1100 nd 1320 660 nd 3520 1320 3740
3 3 3

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UGA Cooperative Extension Circular 1004

Spinach Squash, summer Squash, winter Strawberry Sweet corn Tomato Turnip root Watermelon
1 2

4620 5500 nd 3520 9020 nd 1760 nd

9900 7040 nd nd 13860 nd 2200 880

24200 14740 21780

2

39380 33660 nd nd 34980 4840 5060 nd

50600 36080 nd 33000 57420 7700 5500 4620

nd nd nd nd 78980 9460 nd nd

16500 23100 3300 3520 1760

nd = Not determined. At 55 F. 3 At 36 F. NOTE: Reprinted from The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks, Agricultural Handbook 66, USDA, 2004.

Table 2: Summary of optimal handling conditions for fresh fruits and vegetables. Storage temperature F 40
2

Common name Apple Apricot Beans Lima Snap, wax, green Berries Blackberry Blueberry Elderberry Strawberry Broccoli Cabbage Chinese, Napa common, early crop late crop Carrots topped bunched, immature Cauliflower Collards Corn, sweet Cucumber Eggplant Fig, fresh Kale Leek Lettuce

Relative humidity % 90-95 90-95 95 95 90-95 90-95 90-95 90-95 95-100 95-100 98-100 95-100 98-100 98-100 95-98 95-100 95-98 85-90 90-95 85-90 95-100 95-100 98-100

Highest freezing Specific heat1 temperature F Btu/lb/F 29.3 30 31 30.7 30.6 29.7 30.0 30.6 31.0 30.4 30.4 30.4 29.5 29.5 30.6 31.1 31.0 31.1 30.6 27.6 31.1 30.7 31.7 0.87 0.88 0.73 0.91 0.88 0.86 0.84 0.92 0.92 0.96 0.94 0.94 0.91 0.91 0.93 0.90 0.79 0.97 0.94 0.82 0.89 0.88 0.96

Approximate storage life 1-2 months 1-3 weeks 5-7 days 7-10 days 3-6 days 10-18 days 5-14 days 7-10 days 10-14 days 2-3 months 3-6 weeks 5-6 months 6-8 months 10-14 days 3-4 weeks 10-14 days 5-8 days 10-14 days 1-2 weeks 7-10 days 10-14 days 2 months 2-3 weeks

31-32 41-43 40-45 31-32 31-32 31-32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 50-54 50-54 31-32 32 32 32

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Precooling Fruits and Vegetables

Common name Melons Cantaloupes and other netted melons Honeydew Nectarine Okra Onions Mature bulbs, dry Green Parsley Peach Pear Peas in pods; snow, snap & sugar peas Peppers Bell pepper Hot peppers, chilies Persimmon, Japanese Plums and prunes Pumpkin Radish Rutabaga Spinach Squash Summer (soft rind), courgette Winter (hard rind), calabash Sweet potato, yam Tomato Mature-green Firm-ripe Turnip root Watermelon
1

Storage temperature F 36-41 41-50 31-32 45-50 32 32 32 31-32 29-31 32-34

Relative humidity % 95 85-90 90-95 90-95 65-70 95-100 95-100 90-95 90-95 90-98

Highest freezing Specific heat1 temperature F Btu/lb/F 29.9 30.1 30.3 28.7 30.6 30.4 30 30.3 29.0 30.9 0.94 0.94 0.85 0.92 0.90 0.91 0.88 0.91 0.86 0.79

Approximate storage life 2-3 weeks 3-4 weeks 2-4 weeks 7-10 days 1-8 months 3 weeks 1-2 Months 2-4 weeks 2-7 months 1-2 weeks

45-50 41-50 32 31-32 54-59 32 32 32 45-50 54-59 55-59 50-55 46-50 32 50-59

95-98 85-95 90-95 90-95 50-70 95-100 98-100 95-100 95 50-70 85-95 90-95 85-90 95 90

30.7 30.7 28.0 30.5 30.5 30.7 30.1 31.5 31.1 30.5 29.7 31.1 31.1 30.1 31.3

0.94 nd
3

2-3 weeks 2-3 weeks 2-3 months 2-5 weeks 2-3 months 1-2 months 4-6 months 10-14 days 1-2 weeks 2-3 months 4-7 months 2-5 weeks 1-3 weeks 4-5 months 2-3 weeks

0.83 0.89 0.92 0.96 0.91 0.94 0.95 0.88 0.75 0.94 0.95 0.93 0.94

The specific heat data were taken from The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks, Agricultural Handbook 66, USDA, 1968. Some data are presented for low temperatures, which cause chilling injury for certain commodities; these temperatures are potentially injurious and should be avoided. nd = Not Determined.

NOTE: Reprinted with permission from J. F. Thompson, F. G. Mitchell, and R. F. Kasmire. 2002. Cooling Horticultural Commodities. In Postharvest Technology of Horticulture Crops. Edited by Kader, A. A. 2002. Davis, Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center, University of California Davis. Publication 3311.

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Table 3: Recommended cooling methods for selected fresh fruits and vegetables Size of operation Commodity Tree fruits Stone fruits (peaches, nectarines) Pome fruits (apples, pears) Tropical Berries Grapes Leafy vegetables Cabbage Iceberg lettuce Kale, collards Leaf lettuces, spinach, Chinese cabbage Root vegetables With tops Topped Sweet potatoes Stem and flower vegetables Broccoli Cauliflower Green onions, leeks Pod vegetables Beans Peas Bulb vegetables Dry onions Fruit-type vegetables Cucumbers, eggplant Melons cantaloupes honeydew watermelons Peppers Summer squashes, okra Sweet corn Tomatoes Winter squashes
1

Large FA, HC FA, R, HC FA, R FA FA

Small1 FA R FA FA FA

Remarks

Require rapid cooling adaptable to SO2 fumigation

VC, FA VC VC, R, WVC VC, FA, WVC, HC HC, PI, FA HC, PI HC HC, FA, PI FA, VC PI, HC, WVC HC, FA FA, PI, VC R R, FA, FA-EC

FA FA FA FA HC, FA HC, PI, FA R FA, PI FA PI FA FA, PI R, FA FA, FA-EC Should be adapted to curing Fruit-type vegetables are chill-sensitive at varying temperatures Carrots can be VC

HC, FA, PI FA, R FA, HC R, FA, FA-EC, VC R, FA, FA-EC HC, VC, PI R, FA, FA-EC R

FA, FA-EC FA, FA-EC FA, R FA, FA-EC FA, FA-EC HC, FA, PI R

small scale operation refers to coolers handling up to 1,000 lb/hr. FA-EC = Forced-air evaporative cooling PI = Package-icing WVC = Water spray vacuum cooling

Key: FA = Forced-air cooling HC = Hydrocooling R = Room cooling VC = Vacuum cooling

NOTE: Reprinted with permission from J. F. Thompson, F. G. Mitchell, and R. F. Kasmire. 2002. Cooling Horticultural Commodities. In Postharvest Technology of Horticulture Crops. Edited by Kader, A. A. 2002. Davis, Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center, University of California Davis. Publication 3311.

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Circular 1004

July 2011

The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. Cooperative Extension, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, gender or disability. An Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Organization Committed to a Diverse Work Force