A SYSTEM FOR RURAL STORAGE OF FRESH TOMATO
A SYSTEM FOR RURAL STORAGE OF FRESH TOMATO
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Date
1992
Authors
IFEANYI , NDIRIKA, VICTOR OBIORA
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Abstract
As a result of the need to minimize the huge losses
of perishable agricultural crops produced in the rural
communities and preserve their fresh qualities before
getting to the consumer, at the farm and market levels, a
storage system for fresh tomato was designed and constructed
with the locally available raw materials.
The storage system works on the principles of evaporative
cooling involving the process of heat transfer from the
storage chamber to the wet Hessian sack which encloses the
cooling medium.
A preliminary experiment was carried out during the
harmattan period and a second experiment off-harmattan
period. The result obtained during the off-harmattan period
reveals that the equipment can store fresh tomatoes for 30
days at average temperature and relative humidity of 22.9°C
and 98.2% respectively when the average ambient temperature
and relative humidity respectively were 30.9°C 8nd 37.3%.
Also, the result obtained during the harmattan period shows
that the equipment could store fresh tomatoes for 23 days
at average temperature and relative humidity of 17.1°C
and 82.1% respectively when the average ambient temperature
and relative humidity respectively were 25.15°C and 28.29%.
Compressive strength of the stored produce varies
between (o.550 N/mm2 - 0.122 N/mm2) and (0.550 N/mm2 -
0.081 N/mm2) respectively with the storage equipment and the
control system from the initial to the final day of
storage during the harmattan period. And also varies viii
between (0.546 N/mm2 - 0.112 N/mm2) and (0.546.6 N/mm2 -
0.073 N/mm2) respectively with the storage equipment
and the control system from the initial to the final
day of storage during off-harmattan period.
The initial state of the tomato before testing was
green and the state at the end of the test during the
the harmattan and Off-harmattan period was deepred with
rot appearance. The duration of test were 30 days and 23
days respectively for off-harmattan and harmattan period,
A factorial experiment was considered for estimating
the effect of size, thickness of the Hessian sack and
interraction of the variables under room condition. The
result obtained during the experiments (off-harmattand and
harmattan) reveals that the calculated effect of size of
the storage system was statistically significant while
the calculated effect of thickness of the Hessian sack
and interraction between size and thickness of the Hessian
sack was not significant at 0,05 confidence level.
Cooling efficiencies of over 93% and 98% respectively
was achieved with the storage system during the harmattan
and off-harmattan period while the humidification efficiencies
attained was 93% and 95% respectivley during the
harmattan and off-harmattan seasons.
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A SYSTEM FOR RURAL STORAGE OF FRESH TOMATO, A SYSTEM FOR RURAL STORAGE OF FRESH TOMATO