EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS |
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN |
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rate of moisture loss due to respiration when the grape is harvested at 30 ° C and when cooled to 2 ° C. Moisture loss is evident in a loss of grape mass and it will impact on the quality at the end of the distribution chain.
The quality of product stems from the vineyard, while even the most
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tunnels. The mix of temperatures was illustrated with infra images taken by CoolCheck. Until the pallets are all at a similar temperature, a transfer of heat and different rates of respiration will occur, impacting on the overall time taken to cool all the grapes to a temperature below 2 ° C. With such vast differences in the intake temperatures, the possibility exists that some of the inner portions of the cartons will not be cooled to the required temperature. |
Sorting of pallets according to outside temperatures and then placing those with similar temperatures in the tunnels was recommended to reduce overall cooling times.
Icing up of evaporators with the resultant decrease in cooling capacity and short cycling of air between suction and tunnel fans, were other influencing factors referred to by Schlemmer and Van Zyl.
CoolCheck also made an interesting
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observation in that the volume of air flowing through the grape cartons at Hexkoel was less than the average measured in the Orange River table grape production area. Cooling times in the Orange River were less, but so was the volume of pallets per tunnel compared to Hexkoel.
There was keen interest in the refrigeration presentation, which added value to a well-presented and informative seminar by The Grape Company. CLA
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effective refrigeration and |
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cold chain can merely |
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maintain the quality as |
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harvested. |