Robotic cactus pear cryocauterization increases storage life
•Cactus pear cryocauterization presents an energy efficient system.•Cactus pear cauterized with dry ice at different pressures.•A robotic gripper pressurizes the cactus pear efficiently.•Cactus pear shelf life increases up to four months.•Over 80% of marketable fruit results 90 days after cryocauter...
Saved in:
| Published in: | Postharvest biology and technology 2019-01, Vol.147, p.132-138 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | •Cactus pear cryocauterization presents an energy efficient system.•Cactus pear cauterized with dry ice at different pressures.•A robotic gripper pressurizes the cactus pear efficiently.•Cactus pear shelf life increases up to four months.•Over 80% of marketable fruit results 90 days after cryocauterization.
Cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) is a highly perishable fruit that starts to deteriorate after several days of storage at room temperature. After two weeks, 70% of the fruit show signs of deterioration. A cauterization process used a pneumatic robotic gripper to press a cactus pear against a dry-ice wall inserted inside a thermally isolated chamber. Batches of 1800 cactus pears were processed daily under different environmental conditions (sun, cloud, and rain). The best cryocauterizing treatment for fruit was 150 kPa for 15 s, which on sunny, cloudy, and rainy days resulted in marketable fruit index of 0.86, 0.84, and 0.82, respectively, after 90 d (where 1.0 = 100% marketable fruit). Cryocauterization is a good alternative to increase storage life of cactus pear, but it should be applied early in the working day and without rainy conditions. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0925-5214 1873-2356 |