Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterize the thermal environment of the sorting and packing sectors of small, medium and large packing houses in the Sao Francisco Valley, Northeast of Brazil. Micrometeorological data were monitored every 15 minutes for 20 days during winter 2014 and summer 2015. The parameters evaluated were air temperature (°C), relative humidity (%) and radiant thermal load, RTL,(W/m2). External environmental data were obtained from weather stations close to the packing houses. The data obtained show that packing houses minimum and maximum temperatures were reached at 6am and 3pm, respectively, during winter and summer. Both seasons had air temperatures above 20°C, relative humidity below 90% and radiant thermal load above 450 W/m2. The construction materials that had the highest energy transmissions were the roofs. Metal roofs had the worst thermal conditioning, resulting in maximum internal air temperatures of 32.7°C and minimum relative humidity of 40.9% at 3pm, during summer. According to the results, thermal environments of sorting and packing sectors proved to be inadequate for processing table grapes, mainly during summer. These packing houses should be modified to reach the optimal thermal environment, considering the regional climatic conditions.
Highlights
The qualitative and quantitative postharvest losses are intrinsically related to local environmental conditions and mechanical damage in handling or by the use of inadequate packaging
The reception is connected to the selection sector, weighing, packaging and pallets formation, environment that must be conditioned with air temperature of 20°C and relative humidity at 90% (SOARES; LEAO, 2009)
The temperatures closer to the ones recommended for the selection and packing area of table grape in the packing house (of 20°C, according to the recommendations of SOARES & LEÃO (2009) occurred between 5 and 6 am, in the winter (Figure 2) as can be seen in the table 6
Summary
The qualitative and quantitative postharvest losses are intrinsically related to local environmental conditions and mechanical damage in handling or by the use of inadequate packaging. The grapes for the domestic market are generally the rejected ones from the selection made for export and are subject to higher perishability, especially for being handled under improper environmental conditions that accelerate the loss of quality. The packing houses of table grapes for exportation have four main sectors - selection and packaging, pre-cooling and storage - which have environments with microclimates and specific design characteristics for the development of activities related to the beneficiation. The reception is connected to the selection sector, weighing, packaging and pallets formation, environment that must be conditioned with air temperature of 20°C and relative humidity at 90% (SOARES; LEAO, 2009). The pallets are led to the pre-cooling tunnel, to reduce the heat stored inside the packaging and stored in cold rooms, conditioned in air temperature of -0.5°C and relative humidity at 95%. The cold room has easy access to the fruits shipping sector, which are transported in trucks with controlled environment (NGCOBO et al, 2013)
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