Fabrication And Performance Evaluation Of Cold Storage System

2.5.3 Freezing Injury for Fruits and Vegetables
Below 00c all type of produce freezes due to dissolved soluble solids which are present in cell saps.  Often, damages incurred through freezing only become visible once the produce is returned to temperature above 00c (FAO 2009).
Symptoms
i.    Water logging
ii.    Glassy areas in the flesh
2.5.4 Storage Mix for Fruits and Vegetables
Different produce has different storage demands with regards to factors, such as optimum temperature, levels of relative humidity, levels of ethylene production and sensitivity, and chilling sensitivity.  Hence, the storage of single commodities is less complex than the storage of multiple commodities; however, the latter can still be the more viable option depending on external circumstances.  Besides damage due to mismatches in temperature, also odours can be transmitted and ripening and decay can be affected through the exposure to ethylene, which can result in change in colour, flavor and texture.  Further, only high quality produce should be allowed in the cold storage and produce should sort accordingly (FAO 2009).
2.5.5    Operation and Maintenance for Fruits and Vegetables
Cold storage is a very costly and energy intensive undertaking and therefore the door to the cold storage should be opening as few as possible and that also in the early morning or evening hours (SUSTAIN 2004). Also the usage of lighting and fans should be kept at minimum (USAID 2009). Further points should further be considered:
i.    Logbook:  operational should keep tracks of incoming and outgoing, as well as produced stored, including anticipated arrived time, quality, anticipated storage time, storage conditions required, sales price on day stored, actual sales price, energy consumed, etc. of new produce (FAO 2009), (SUSTAIN 2003).
ii.    Inventory:  an up-to date inventory should be kept including information about location within cold storage, type, quality and harvest time of produce, use of pre-cooling method; date produce entered the facility etc.
iii.    Loading: In general loading rates should be 4 – 5% of total capacity.  The cold storage should be divided in areas for short-term and long-term storage space (National Horticulture Board 2010), (SUSTAIN 2003).