Precooling of harvested vegetables

This paper, part of a consultancy to Thailand"s Ministry of Agriculture, discusses methods for reducing postharvest fruit and vegetable losses by precooling the produce prior to cold storage. Hydrocooling, forced air cooling, vacuum cooling, and ice cooling are discussed briefly, as is, at greater length, the use of refrigerated trucks for precooling. Refrigeration equipment at the Ministry of Agriculture"s postharvest pathology research facilities is reviewed, and recommendations are made for adapting these facilities for research on the postharvest handling of perishable produce. A discussion of controlled atmosphere storage, considered the most significant technological advance in the field since the advent of mechanical refrigeration, concludes the report. Includes illustrations drawn by the author.