Precooling Technologies are within the process activity of garden plants after harvest and different cooling methods are used depending on the type of the product.
As using pre cooling technologies right after harvest with the shortest time, shelf life of fruits and vegetables will be significantly longer and with their fresh look, products will be more preferred. According to the studies, 1 hour delay in pro-harvest pre-cooling results in 1 day lost in shell life of some fresh food. Therefore, fresh products should enter pre-cooling process as soon as possible right after being harvested.
The most used Precooling methods which need to be applied after harvest are;
- Forced-Air Cooling
- Hydro cooling
- Vacuum Cooling
Properly applied pre-cooling system provides;
- Extended shelf life
- More preferable products in distant markets with their fresh appearance
- Decrease in production of ethylene* and extend in storage time;
- Decrease in loss and wastage.