LECTURE 5.

1 SORTING, GRADING AND SIZING ○ Place separation belts, chutes at the

EQUIPMENT same height as the working area to
minimize arm movements
Hygienic Design of Equipment
● Visible/reachable surfaces
● Smooth/cleanable surfaces
● No collection points for moisture, organic
matter
● Compatible materials
● Preventing contamination
Considerations
● Dimensions
○ Efficient work height is 10-15 cm
below the elbow of the average worker ● Mobility
○ Provide benches and stools for sitting ○ Use concrete floors to allow
tasks equipment mounted on caster wheels
○ For workers placed on one side of ○ Screed and epoxy finish for flooring
sorting table, width should not exceed ● Worker safety
40-50 cm, or 75 cm if on both sides ○ Install shields and safeguards for
○ For roller conveyors, Dr < 3x equipment with moving parts (pulleys,
commodity dimensions; center-to- gears, belts)
center distance must allow free ● Sanitation and hygiene
rotation ○ Equipment design must allow cleaning
and draining of internal areas and
external surfaces
○ If not to be used for extended periods,
disassemble, drain, and dry - piping
○ Avoid dead ends, sharp corners, poor
seals and joints that can accumulate
organic matter and water
○ Ensure smooth welds to avoid
corrosion, accumulation of organic
● Protection matter, prevent bruising
○ Minimize sharp edges and corners;
install padding to prevent cuts and
bruises
○ Impact surfaces should be covered
with padding or bumpers
○ Impact points on conveyors should be
considered as possible sources of
damage
○ Minimize drops during transfers
between conveyors (long ramp with
small slope)
○ Reduce impact velocity using
decelerators
○ Ex: use of plastic hose in T-bolt,
decelerator curtains or brush
● Product movement
○ Packaging materials should be within
arm’s reach
○ Product movement should be planned
to move materials toward the lead
hand
 ● Dipping Tanks
○ HWT for mango
● Conveyors
● Pallets

LECTURE 5.2 HEAT TREATMENT EQUIPMENT FOR

Hygienic Equipment Design
● Avoid pits, crevices, sharp edges and corners;
design a minimum radius of 3 mm for corners
● Screws and threaded bolts can allow buildup
of contaminants, water
● Dead ends can trap organic matter
● Provide catch pans and drain hoses for
equipment with motors; do not install motors
over product areas
● Provide safety guards for chains, belts, and
conveyor guides
Packinghouse Equipment
● Sorting/Grading Aids
○ Sorting table for onion, strawberry
● Sizers (by diameter)
○ Sizing chute for pomelo, Dual hose
sizer for round fruits, Perforated
cylinder sizer for citrus, Shake grader
for onions
● Sizers (by weight)
○ Weight sizer for mango, tomato
● Washer
○ Washer system for fresh-cut
vegetables
POSTHARVEST DISEASE CONTROL AND
DISINFESTATION
Need Heat Treatments for Perishable Crops
● Postharvest disease in Philippine mango
results in export losses of 20% in Hong Kong
● Philippine insect pests are a quarantine
concern of importing countries
Considerations
● Method of heat treatment
○ Target organism
○ Method of treatment
■ Hot water treatment
■ Vapor heat treatment
■ Hot air treatment
■ Microwave heating
■ Irradiation (“cold” treatment)
○ Cost
*Postharvest diseases of mango include anthracnose,
stem end rot (inset)
*Pulp weevil infestation on mango
*Hot water tank for heat treatment of sugarcane setts
● Capacity
○ Daily, weekly volume to be treated
○ Allowable delays in treatment
○ Availability of labor
● Heat load
○ Volume of crop to be treated
○ Ratio of crop weight to heat transfer
medium (“buffering”)
○ Losses due to leaks, evaporation, air
infiltration, heat transmission,
convection, radiation
● Heat source
○ Biomass furnace
○ Steam boilers (bunker oil, diesel,
biomass)
○ LPG burners
○ Electric immersion heaters
*A 6-crate (130-kg) capacity hot water tank for mango ○ Pathological damage due to microbial
with LPG burner agents
○ Mechanical injuries increase risk of
decay
● Physiological disorders
○ Results in abnormal flavor, texture,
color
○ May be due to inappropriate storage
environment
Mechanical Damage
● Bruising
● Wounding
● Distortion / compression damage
● Abrasion
● Vibration
Considerations for Selection and Design of
Packaging
● Nature of the commodity
● Market requirements
● Postharvest operations
*Typical packaging used in the Philippines, wooden &
plastic crates, bamboo baskets, pandan leaf baskets
Corrugated Cartons
● Light weight
● Stackable
● Readily available, widely acceptable
*Vapor heat treatment machine for mango and papaya ● Less costly than plastic crates
● Destination market
○ Automated or manual control
○ Data logging capabilities
○ Sensors required
LECTURE 5.3 PACKAGING FOR TRANSPORT &
MARKETING
Packaging for Transport
Need of Packaging
● Protection for the crop
● Eliminates individual handling
● Standardizes quantities handled
Functions of a Package
● Facilitate easy handling
● Protect the product
● Sell the product
● Inform the consumer
Causes of Damage
● Mechanical stress
○ Appearance is changed due to
handling
○ Dropping, throwing, bouncing,
abrasion, compression
○ Usually occurs during packing and
transport
● Microbial activity
 Example 1:
Cost-effective Design of Corrugated Cartons
● Must maintain cold chain at high humidity
● Must ensure mechanical strength against
impact, compression
● Test conducted to cartons
○ Box compression test
○ Edge crush test
Example 2:
Effect of Stacking Patterns and Practices on
Stacking Strength
● Interlocking stocking pattern can reduce stack
strength
● Overhanging cartons and wide gaps in pallets
also reduce stack strength
● We have bananas to pack in carton boxes with
a capacity of 13 kg. The weight of each box is
1 kg, and the length, width and height are 508
mm, 381 mm and 305 mm respectively.
● We assume that the box is a regular slotted
container (RSC). Assume that the maximum
stacking height is 2 m. Find the required
stacking strength.
● Compute the BCT of the carton from Example
1 if the boarD thickness is 4 mm, and the ECT
is 5.6 kN/m
● The carton has a length of 508 mm, a width of
381 mm, and a height of 305 mm.
Summary
● Improper handling and poor packaging
practices are a major source of mechanical
damage
● Proper selection of packaging materials
significantly reduces postharvest loss
● Carton boxes are light and offer some
protection, but can degrade over time
Packaging for Marketing: Modified Atmosphere
Respiratory Quotient (RQ)
Packaging for Perishable Crops
● Ratio of O2 consumed to CO2 produced
Controlled Atmosphere Storage (Ca) / Modified
○ If carbohydrates are consumed: RQ≈1
Atmosphere Packaging (Ma)
○ If lipids are consumed: RQ<1
● Removal or addition of one or more gases in a ○ If organic acids are consumed: RQ>1
storage atmosphere ● RQ >>> 1 implies anaerobic respiration
● Usually involves reduction of oxygen, the ● Normal RQ = 0.7 – 1.3
addition of carbon dioxide ● Anaerobic mode produces ethanol through
● Main difference lies in the degree of control decarboxylation of pyruvate to CO2
● Does not consume O2
CA storage
Temperature Effects on Respiration
● CA storage rooms are insulated gas-tight
chambers equipped with refrigeration and O2 ● Q10 value refers to the change in respiration
control systems rate for every ΔT = 10oC
● Desired level of O2 is reached by purging with ● Strawberries: Q10 = 2 – 5.5
pure N2 ● Blueberries: Q10 = 2.8 – 3.2
● Gas generators extract N2 from air using
molecular sieve beds or membrane systems
MAP
● Commodity packed in a semi-permeable pack ● Arrhenius equation quantifies effect of
● Passive MAP - respiration of the commodity temperature on respiration rate (and film
reduces O2 and increases CO2 permeability)
● Active MAP - desired package atmosphere is
introduced into the package
● MAP is a dynamic system
○ Ambient air: 0.03% CO2 & 21% O2
○ MA: 5% O2 & CO2
● Perforation
○ Cold Needle: 0.05 cm Respiration Measurement
○ Laser: 50 μm ● Closed (static) systems
CA/MA Systems ○ Empirical model for gas levels with
respect to time
● Hybrid
○ Electronic controller for automated
control of an air vent in a refrigerated
van
● Disadvantages ○ Determine slope at the desired
○ Physiological disorders if O2 Is too low package atmosphere
○ Irregular ripening of fruits
○ Off-odors, off-flavors
○ Decay

○ Advantages
■ Simple setup
○ Disadvantages
■ Cannot study effect of
different gas combinations
■ Does not consider
steady-state conditions
● Flow-through systems
○ Respiration Rate
 ○ Advatages
■ Different combinations of
gases can be used
○ Disadvantages
■ More complex setup
■ Accurate gas flow rate is
needed
■ Flow rate must be preselected
for maximum accuracy
■ Does not consider unsteady
state conditions
● Semi-permeable systems
○ Respiration Rate

○ Advantages
■ Combines steady and
unsteady-state stages of
establishing MA conditions
○ Disadvantages
■ Complex, least accurate
method since more variables
are involved
■ Cannot study different gas
combinations
■ Time to reach steady state
may be long

Gas Transmission Measurement

● Based on Fick’s Law of Diffusion

● Static (closed) systems, flow-through systems

● Gas transmission measurement by static cell

 ● Preserved sugar content
● Less wilting
● Benefits of Precooling
○ Excellent quality is maximized, storage
life extended
○ Minimized refrigeration load
○ Ripe produce can be transported /
stored
● Drawbacks of precooling
○ High investment cost
○ Large power requirement
○ Maintenance cost
○ Needs continuous use to justify
investment
● Before investing:
○ What are true causes of postharvest
losses?
○ Will benefits outweigh costs?
○ What is the volume to be precooled?
○ Which method is appropriate?
○ What are the marketing conditions to
be considered?
● Product heat load
○ Can be more than 50% of the
refrigeration requirement
● Respiration Rates

Methods of Precooling
Methods
● Room cooling
LECTURE 5.4 PRECOOLING
Importance of Precooling
Precooling
● Rapid cooling to a desired temperature after
harvest and before transport or storage
● Must be completed within a few hours

● Forced air cooling

Objectives of Precooling
● Reduce temperature as rapidly as possible
● Reduce decay
 ● Hydro-cooling [drench type]
● Hydro-cooling [immersion type]
● Vacuum cooling

● Package Icing
○ Freezing Injury
○ Cracking

Low-Cost Alternatives to Conventional Precooling

Methods
● Recycled reefer vans
○ Reconditioned gaskets, door
replacement
○ Check seams and joints
○ Additional blowers for tunnel cooling,
or room cooling
● Mobile forced air coolers
○ The CoolBot uses multiple sensors, a
heating element, and a programmed
micro-controller to control an air
conditioner. Air temperatures as low
as 2°C can be reached without
forming ice on the evaporator coil.
● Pallet Cooling System
● Hydro-cooling [immersion type]
● Low-Cost Alternatives are suitable for:
○ Cooling small volumes
○ Non-high value crops
○ Local markets
○ New business ventures