Precoolers provide for organic shelf-life preservation
As the public demands more organic produce, growers and packers are finding that doing a better job of precooling, and recooling too, replaces the need for chemical and modified atmosphere treatments to preserve shelf life and profits. Precooling can also reduce costs.
“Refrigerating the fruit or veg to the optimum shelf life temperature as quickly as possible after harvest,” explained Jim Still, founder of Global Cooling Inc. and inventor of the Jet Ready Precoolers, “is mother nature's way of preventing transpiration and minimizing respiration.” When produce 'breathes heavy', because of temperature stress, it loses moisture, and this loss of water weight, and also of carbon dioxide weight, is what shortens shelf-life and reduces salable weight.
“When fresh produce is stressed,” Still explained, “is also when diseases can develop, and in the past fungicides and mildicides were commonly used treatments for many fruits and vegetables. Now, with the move to organics, less chemicals are being used, which means the only logical solution to the shelf life and disease concerns are better precooling and a stronger end-to-end cold chain.”
Prompt and thorough precooling is the single most important step in establishing an effective cold chain, according to Still, “because once the vitality, in the form of weight loss and water loss, has occurred, you can't put the water back in again.”
“Re-Cooling”, as Still refers to it, occurs when there is a break in the cold chain, “from fumigation, or border crossing inspection by government agencies. Often the fruit which should be kept at 32F or colder, will warm to the mid-40s or higher. The quicker it can be cooled back down to the ideal temperature, the more of the shelf life and weight that is preserved. Our Jet Precoolers are great Recoolers, too.”
“Our Jet Precoolers are made in America,” explained Vice President James J. Still, “right here in Philadelphia at the Philly Navy Yard business park. All of our components are the best that money can buy, and our portables are amazingly powerful, we consistently outperform bunker wall systems and farm-built box fans time after time.”
Jet Precooler customers have successfully used the units to cool every commodity attempted so far, with the lone exception being crates of corn. The list of can-do's includes berries, apples, cherries, mangoes, avocados, flowers, jackfruit, papaya, bananas, herbs, lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, root stocks, jalapeños, and hops. All of these can be cooled in MacroBins too.