If you want to start the business of cold storage, you should know that the vegetable cold storage project cost varies depending on the type of project and locations of the project.
The use of a cold room is necessary for the refrigeration of fruits and vegetables. Being fresh and perishable, they indeed need to be stored at low temperatures to remain fresh and edible. The cold room brings together the optimal conditions and respects the cold chain to maintain their quality. Hence its use in food and food professions.
Refrigeration of fruits and vegetables - Which cold room to choose?
Inside a cold room, ideal storage temperatures for fruits and vegetables range from 0 ° C to + 10 ° C. Under these conditions, their freshness, nutritional quality, and flavor are preserved. If you want to store these types of foods, this is a positive cold room that you must equip yourself with.
The temperature range of a positive cold room is often between 0 ° C and + 10 ° C. This refrigeration equipment allows you to respect the cold chain and to offer quality fruits and vegetables to your consumers. Positive cold rooms are commonly found in the catering, food retail, and distribution, agrifood, etc. sectors.
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How to store fruits and vegetables in a cold room?
All fruits and vegetables can be stored between 6-10 ° C, with a few exceptions. In order to optimize storage, it is therefore important to organize them well inside the cold room.
Eggplants, peppers, and zucchini require a storage temperature above + 10 ° C. As for exotic fruits, they risk browning below +12 ° C. Strong-smelling vegetables like onions, cabbage, leeks, etc. should be placed in separate storage, as they can alter the taste of other vegetables and fruits.
Certain varieties such as avocados, apricots, ripe bananas, passion fruits, mangoes, melons, papayas, peaches, pears, apples, etc. are classified among “climacteric” plants.
These emit “ethylene” gas, which may be responsible for the ripening of “non-climacteric” plants such as broccoli, carrots, cabbage, endives, beans, kiwis, salads, etc.
The characteristics of a positive cold room:
Insulation panels of varying dimensions, storage systems, and a refrigeration unit normally make up a positive cold room. The role of the refrigeration unit is major since it lowers the internal temperature of the refrigerated chamber.
Professionals can choose between two types of positive cold room for the storage of fruit and vegetables: a prefabricated and non-removable model or a modular model which can be dismantled. The following characteristics can help you in your Vegetable cold storage project cost choice:
- The configuration of your spaces
- The required storage volume
- The desired cooling capacity
- The installation mode
- The budget
The refrigeration unit is formed by a compressor, an expansion valve, a dehydrator, and an evaporator that you can buy together or separately from the manufacturers.
However, there are monobloc groups, whose components form a single block, and remote groups, whose elements form two different blocks. The latter need two separate locations: inside the refrigerated room and in an external room.
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