PRAGATI SINGHAMPH.D (I YEAR)

FPE

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF

• Packhouse Vs Cold storage• Mechanism• Function • Process flow• Safety measures• Plant layout• Construction design

CONTENTS

PARTICULARS PACKHOUSE COLD STORAGE

Aim Increment in Market potentiality Extension of shelf life

Unit operations

Cleaning/washing/grading/ sorting/ waxing/storage/transportation

Cleaning/grading/sorting/ cooling/storage

Governing body

APEDA or private sector MoFPI or private sector

PACKHOUSE VS. COLDSTORE

Farm Produc

e

Pack House

Retail Stores

Consumers

•Cleaning•Grading•Washing•Drying •Inspecting•Packing & etc.

MECHANISM OF PACKHOUSE

Acts as an-– accumulation or collection point

– temporary holding area prior to distribution

– dispatch point of produce to different destinations

FUNCTION OF PACKHOUSE

Process flow for ‘Carabao’ mangoes destined for export markets (www.fao.org)

RECEIVING• Maturity assessment• Removal of foreign matters• Trimming

WEIGHING (Digital)• 1kg scale -manual sizing (individual)• 50 or 100kg scale (incoming & outgoing produce)

Internal breakdown in ‘Carabao’ mango

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

SORTING

GRADINGStatic – inspection tableDynamic - moving belt

Color sorterSurface defects

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

Dynamic grader

SIZING

• Based on weight/density

• Based on dimension

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

WASHING • Water-chlorinated water-water

• Water-hot water/steam(50-65°C for 10-25s) with brush

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

REMOVING FIELD HEAT

• Contact icing• Hydro-cooling • Forced air cooling• Vacuum coolers(may be tunnel)• Evaporative cooling

A FIRST-IN, FIRST OUT(FIFO) SYSTEM

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

Dryer Blower

WAXING

• Food-grade waxes to reduce moisture loss• Applied by – foaming/ spray/ dipping and dripping

CONVEYING• Belt conveyor• Gravity conveyor (manual moving of conveyor)

Waxing of citrus by spraying

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

PACKAGING• For delicate produce

• Less delicate produce

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

Bagger for retail packing

PALLETIZING

Examples of container dimensions that are compatible with metric pallets (1 200 × 1 000 mm)

Chimney stacking pattern of cartons on a pallet and a central air space to allow heat to escape from the cartons

Pallet for unitized handling of containers

Insulated pallet

PROCESS FLOW IN PACKHOUSE

SAFETY MEASURES (MECHANICAL BRUISING)

Delivery of fruit from a roller conveyor to a belt conveyor

Rubber or plastic hoses used as bumpers

Blanket to de-accelerate the speed

Recommended design for a tank filled with liquid: (A) poor design may contain dead ends (B) design with improvements for hygiene (Rahman 2007)

SAFETY MEASURES

A B

PACKHOUSE LAYOUT (U-SHAPE)

1

53

2

4

7

6

9

8

10

MATERIAL OF CONSTRUCTION

• Wood or bamboo: tables, benches, bins, crates and pallets (dry product)

• SS 304 and SS 316: food contact surface

• Tungsten inert gas welding food contact joints. Metal inert gas welding non-food contact joints

CONSTRUCTION DESIGN

ROOF • Overhanging (atleast 1 m)- canvas or plastic• 3 m above the floor (height improve ventilation)• Galvanized iron sheet with insulation (PS or laminated plastic)• Translucent or corrugated roofing panel (light)• Screened roof vents

FLOORING • Concrete, smooth finished• Thick α load (reinforced with wire mesh & iron bar)• mostly 10 cm • heavy load-13-15cm• Slope 2-4%

CONSTRUCTION DESIGN

DOOR & DOORWAY• Width -1.5m(min)• Gap between door & jambs 3mm(max.)

WALLS • Concrete, smooth, non-absorbent, pest proof• Slope 45°• Floor-to-wall and wall-to-wall radius 5-6cm (min)

CEILING• Acoustic board• Distance between finished floor and ceiling- 2.4m (min)• Paint-white

CONSTRUCTION DESIGN

Door & doorway

WINDOWS• Screened (opening max 3mm)• Slope 45°• Height- 1m above floor

VENTILATION• Cellulosic evaporative cooling pads (reduces temperature)• Evaporative coolers

LIGHTING

An evaporative cooler that makes use of cellulosic pads (inset) as wetted media

CONSTRUCTION DESIGN

• http://mpstateagro.nic.in/Project%20Reports%20pdf/BANANA%20PACK%20HOUS

E.pdf

• http://www.haith.co.uk/

• https://www.magrabi-agriculture.com/packhous.htm

• Rahman, M.S. 2007. Hygienic design and sanitation. In M.S. Rahman, ed.

Handbook of food preservation (2nd ed.), pp. 957-968. Boca Raton, Florida, CRC

Press.

• Mitchell, F.G. 1992. Packages for horticultural crops. In A.A. Kader, ed. Postharvest

technology of horticultural crops, pp. 45-52. Davis, California, Univ. of California.

• Reyes, M.U. 1988. Design, concept and operation of ASEAN packing-house

equipment for fruits and vegetables. Postharvest Horticulture Training and

Research Center, University of the Philippines at Los Baños. 56 pp.

REFERENCES

THANK YOU