Design and development of a mixing arrangement for a prototype cold storage

Carriage of fresh fruits and vegetables under ordinary conditions of refrigeration lead toaccelerated deterioration due to accumulation of undesirable gases. Shelf lifeof fresh produce can beenhanced by storage at optimum temperature and humidity and by admitting fresh air into the system. A prototype cold store is developed to maintain desirable temperature and humidity. In addition, a mixing arrangement is designed which controls the ratio of the return and outside air. Through the experiments, it was found the percentage weight loss of oranges kept in the cold store at 5 °C and 95% humidity was found to be about 10.14%. A storage life of about88 days (∼ 3 months or 13 weeks) was obtained. This represents a 30% extension in shelf life in relation to oranges stored in a refrigerator. After the said storage period, the fruit was found edible and marketable.