Development Of Fruits And Vegetables Storage Device

Description

 

ABSTRACT

Cold storage is the one widely practiced method for bulk handling of the perishables between production and marketing processing. It is one of the methods of reserving perishable commodities in fresh and whole some state for a longer period by controlling temperature and humidity with in the storage system. Maintaining adequately low temperature is critical, as otherwise it will cause chilling injury to the produce. Also, relative humidity of the storeroom should be kept as high as 80-90% for most of the perishables, below (or) above which his detrimental effect on the keeping quality of the produce. Most fruits and vegetables have a very limited life after harvest if held at normal harvesting temperatures. Having cooling and storage facilities makes it unnecessary to market the produce immediately after harvest. This can be an advantage to growers who supply restaurants and grocery stores or to small growers who want to assemble truckload lots for shipment. Postharvest cooling is essential to delivering produce of the highest possible quality to the consumer Cold storage can be combined with storage in an environment with added of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, etc. according to the nature of product to be preserved. The cold storage of dried/dehydrated vegetables in order to maintain vitamin C, storage temperature can be varied with storage time and can be at 0°-10°C for a storage time of more than one year, with a relative humidity of 80-95 %. The cold storage of perishables has advanced noticeably in recent years, leading to better maintenance of organoleptic qualities, reduced spoilage, and longer shelf lives. These advances have resulted from joint action by physiologists to determine the requirements of fruit and vegetables, and by refrigerating specialists to design and run refrigerating machines accordingly.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                               INTRODUCTION

1.1                                                 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Cold storage is the one widely practiced method for bulk handling of the perishables between production and marketing processing. It is one of the methods ofreserving perishable commodities in fresh and whole some state for a longer period bycontrolling temperature and humidity with in the storage system. Maintaining adequatelylow temperature is critical, as otherwise it will cause chilling injury to the produce.Also,relative humidity of the storeroom should be kept as high as 80-90% for most of theperishables, below (or) above which his detrimental effect on the keeping quality of theproduce (ASHRAE, 2014).

Most fruits and vegetables have a very limited life after harvest if held at normalharvesting temperatures. Postharvest cooling rapidly removes field heat, allowing longerstorageperiods. Proper postharvest cooling can:

• Reducerespiratoryactivityand degradation byenzymes;
• Reduceinternalwaterlossandwilting;
• Sloworinhibitthegrowth ofdecay-producingmicroorganisms;
• Reducetheproductionof thenaturalripeningagent,ethylene.

 

In addition to helping maintain quality, postharvest cooling also provides marketingflexibility by allowing the grower to sell produce at the most appropriate time. Having cooling and storage facilities makes it unnecessary to market the produce immediately after harvest. This can be an advantage to growers who supply restaurants and grocerystores or to small growers who want to assemble truckload lots for shipment. Postharvest cooling is essential to delivering produce of the highest possible quality to the consumer.

Cold storage can be combined with storage in an environment with added of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, etc. according to the nature of product to be preserved. The cold storage of dried/dehydrated vegetables in order to maintain vitamin C, storage temperature can be varied with storage time and can be at 0°-10°C for a storage time ofmorethan oneyear, witharelative humidityof 80-95 %.

The cold storage of perishables has advanced noticeably in recent years, leading to better maintenance of organ oleptic qualities, reduced spoilage, and longer shelf lives.

These advances have resulted from joint action by physiologists to determine the requirements of fruit and vegetables, and by refrigerating specialists to design and run refrigerating machines accordingly.

Care should be taken to store only, those kinds, which does not show in compatibility of storage, when storing multi produce in the same room. For example, apple can bestored with grapes,  oranges, peaches, and plums and not with banana. However with potato and cabbage slight danger of cross actions can occur. Contrary to this, grape incompatible to all other vegetables except cabbage. To resolve the incompatibility during cold storage, food stuffs are grouped into three temperature ranges (engel, 2011).

1.2                                                        PROBLEM STATEMENT

To provide a diversity of vegetables over a long season, small-scale vegetable producers need to use energy efficient cold storage methods to reduce costs and extend the revenue period while maintaining produce quality and freshness. Erratic power supply and inadequate facilities hinder storage of perishable crops, leading to postharvest losses. This study was designed to develop a cold storage device for the storage of perishable crops. Extending produce quality for longer periods makes the system suitable for use in rural communities where there is no electricity to purchase refrigerator

1.3                                                         AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The main aim of this study was designed to develop a cold storage device for the storage of perishable crops. With cold storage unit the use of electricity can be greatly reduced. To that end, the objectives of the study are:

1. To design a cool and cold storage unit for the for the student involved that will store 32,250 lbs of maximum produce load at optimum temperature and humidity ranges
2. To design a cool and cold storage unit capable of completely removing field heat within 24 hours
3. To design ventilation and refrigeration system specifications that will reduce electricity cost by 70% 4.

1.4                                                       PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the work is to improve the shelf life of fruits and vegetables for small-holder farmers in rural Nigeria.

1.5                                                        BENEFIT OF THE STUDY

Year-long supplies of fresh food have been made possible by improvements in controlled storage conditions, shipping and importing. A fresh weekly food supply at the local super market has eliminated the need for the home preservation and food processing of earlier days. Today, we may choose to preserve andprocess food for reasons besides availability such as the price of food, quality and nutrition. With this device, gardeners who find themselves with a surplus of fresh produce at the end of the season may decide to store and preserve.

1.6                                                      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research work will throw more light on the best techniques for preserving and storing of fruits and vegetable. This study will also be designed to be of immense benefit to all farmer in that it will help them to provides marketing flexibility by allowing the grower to sell produce at the most appropriate time.

 

1.6                                                  LIMITATION OF STUDY

As we all know that no human effort to achieve a set of goals goes without difficulties, certain constraints were encountered in the course of carrying out this project and they are as follows:-

1. Difficulty in information collection: I found it too difficult in laying hands of useful information regarding this work and this course me to visit different libraries and internet for solution.
2. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

• Time Constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.6                                     PROJECT ORGANISATION

The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuss the introductory part of the work,   chapter two presents the literature review of the study,  chapter three describes the methods applied, chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.