Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales
The preservation of fresh produce can provide rural households with better diets all-year round and income by reducing their deterioration. Promotion of low-cost temporary storage technologies requires evidence of their effectiveness to attain conducive conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
2020-06-01
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Series: | Research in Agricultural Engineering |
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Online Access: | https://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/rae-202002-0004_effectiveness-of-an-evaporative-charcoal-cooler-for-the-postharvest-preservation-of-tomatoes-and-kales.php |
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author | Erick Kiplangat Ronoh Christopher Luchebeleli Kanali Samuel Njuguna Ndirangu |
author_facet | Erick Kiplangat Ronoh Christopher Luchebeleli Kanali Samuel Njuguna Ndirangu |
author_sort | Erick Kiplangat Ronoh |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The preservation of fresh produce can provide rural households with better diets all-year round and income by reducing their deterioration. Promotion of low-cost temporary storage technologies requires evidence of their effectiveness to attain conducive conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the preservation of tomatoes and kales. The cooler microclimate and outdoor conditions were investigated by measuring the air temperature and relative humidity. During the study period, the maximum temperature difference between the cooler and the outdoors was found to be 9.2 °C while the maximum relative humidity difference was 36.8%. Due to the presence of light rain and, consequently, low solar radiation, the temperature and relative humidity differences were significantly reduced. Despite the light rain, the cooler still registered a maximum relative humidity of 83.5% and a maximum cooling efficiency of 91.5%. Overall, the cooler demonstrated promising results in terms of favourable microclimate conditions, the shelf-life and colour changes for tomatoes and kales. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-10T08:05:30Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-a71dbf48930e4c848fe34f412ca1a7f8 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1212-9151 1805-9376 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-10T08:05:30Z |
publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
publisher | Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences |
record_format | Article |
series | Research in Agricultural Engineering |
spelling | doaj.art-a71dbf48930e4c848fe34f412ca1a7f82023-02-23T03:47:56ZengCzech Academy of Agricultural SciencesResearch in Agricultural Engineering1212-91511805-93762020-06-01662667110.17221/52/2019-RAErae-202002-0004Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kalesErick Kiplangat RonohChristopher Luchebeleli Kanali0Samuel Njuguna Ndirangu1Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, School of Biosystems and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, School of Biosystems and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, KenyaThe preservation of fresh produce can provide rural households with better diets all-year round and income by reducing their deterioration. Promotion of low-cost temporary storage technologies requires evidence of their effectiveness to attain conducive conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the preservation of tomatoes and kales. The cooler microclimate and outdoor conditions were investigated by measuring the air temperature and relative humidity. During the study period, the maximum temperature difference between the cooler and the outdoors was found to be 9.2 °C while the maximum relative humidity difference was 36.8%. Due to the presence of light rain and, consequently, low solar radiation, the temperature and relative humidity differences were significantly reduced. Despite the light rain, the cooler still registered a maximum relative humidity of 83.5% and a maximum cooling efficiency of 91.5%. Overall, the cooler demonstrated promising results in terms of favourable microclimate conditions, the shelf-life and colour changes for tomatoes and kales.https://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/rae-202002-0004_effectiveness-of-an-evaporative-charcoal-cooler-for-the-postharvest-preservation-of-tomatoes-and-kales.phpcoolingefficiencyfresh producequalitystorage |
spellingShingle | Erick Kiplangat Ronoh Christopher Luchebeleli Kanali Samuel Njuguna Ndirangu Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales Research in Agricultural Engineering cooling efficiency fresh produce quality storage |
title | Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales |
title_full | Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales |
title_fullStr | Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales |
title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales |
title_short | Effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales |
title_sort | effectiveness of an evaporative charcoal cooler for the postharvest preservation of tomatoes and kales |
topic | cooling efficiency fresh produce quality storage |
url | https://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/rae-202002-0004_effectiveness-of-an-evaporative-charcoal-cooler-for-the-postharvest-preservation-of-tomatoes-and-kales.php |
work_keys_str_mv | AT erickkiplangatronoh effectivenessofanevaporativecharcoalcoolerforthepostharvestpreservationoftomatoesandkales AT christopherluchebelelikanali effectivenessofanevaporativecharcoalcoolerforthepostharvestpreservationoftomatoesandkales AT samuelnjugunandirangu effectivenessofanevaporativecharcoalcoolerforthepostharvestpreservationoftomatoesandkales |