Abstract
In agro-food research and industry, mathematical models are being used to develop and optimize preharvest and postharvest operations, and their use has grown exponentially over the last decade. Generally, transport phenomena (such as airflow, heat, and mass transfer) during the cooling of horticultural products are complex; therefore, the use of computational modeling techniques is a valid alternative to expensive and difficult experiments because computers continuously become more powerful and less expensive, the software is readily available, and once a model is validated, it is a versatile tool to evaluate the effects of the operating and design parameters involved. In this review, thermo-mechanical modeling studies during postharvest handling are overviewed regarding the experimental, analytical, and computational approaches. The airflow, cooling kinetics, cooling uniformity, and the material and mechanical safety behavior of fresh fruit packaging boxes will be analyzed. Current concerns, challenges, and opportunities are discussed.
Highlights
Mathematical modeling complements testing and experimentation by reducing the total effort and cost of data acquisition in the agricultural sector
Because of their low cost and versatility, corrugated fiberboard cartons (CFCs) are the dominant and economical material for making shipping containers that are widely used for the distribution, transportation, and storage of produce
A significant challenge that affects the use of CFCs is the ability to maintain the mechanical strength of the cartons under cold chain conditions over a long period of time [20,21,22,23,24]
Summary
Mathematical modeling complements testing and experimentation by reducing the total effort and cost of data acquisition in the agricultural sector. Artificial-intelligence (AI)-based imaging and image analysis tools are making dramatic breakthroughs in classifications and object detection applications [6] In another area, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of airflow and particulate transport within plant canopies were applied to analyze and optimize pesticide and fungicide spray application to agricultural fields and to assess the accompanying environmental contamination [3]. Foods 2021, 10, 1357 individual CFCs and stacked and palletized CFCs has been assessed using computational structural dynamics (CSD) models [22,23,24] This involves discretizing a large domain into many small elements, developing element equations, assembling the element equations for the whole domain, and solving the assembled equations to simulate and predict the mechanical responses in CFCs upon loading [27,28]. The comparison of several pomegranate packaging designs showed significantly different cooling uniformity, cooling rate, and energy usage in a precooling process [13,37]
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