Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Item type:Publication,
    Evaporative cooling with a wet fabric blanket for non-refrigerated horticultural produce transport: An experimental study
    (2024-12-01) ;
    Laguerre, Onrawee
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    Flick, Denis
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    Duret, Steven
    Due to the high cost of mechanical refrigeration, Evaporative Cooling (EC) can be an alternative technology for small farmers in developing countries, such as Thailand. This study aimed to experimentally investigate the performance of EC using a wet fabric blanket. A real-scale cargo chamber, commonly used in Thailand, was constructed, and equipped with axial fans to simulate airflow during transportation. Two pallets of test products (hollow plastic balls) were loaded into the cargo and covered with the wet blanket. During the experiment, the inlet air velocities varied from 0.8 m s<sup>−1</sup> to 3.6 m s<sup>−1</sup> while the constant climate conditions were maintained (29–30 °C and 70–73 %RH). The air and product temperatures and air relative humidity were measured every minute for 3 h using thermocouples and hygrometers, respectively. The proposed EC method allowed the air temperature to decrease by approximately 3–4 °C. When the inlet air velocity decreased, a lower temperature reduction was observed. Simplified heat and mass transfer models were developed to interpret the load temperature evolution from the inlet to the outlet positions at different air velocities. The comparison between the measured and calculated data revealed a maximum mean relative error of 1.2 %. The quality preservation performance was also evaluated based on lettuce mass loss. Lower mass loss was observed for the product stored inside the cargo chamber (<6 %) compared to those outside (8–10 %). This study suggests the potential use of a wet blanket as an EC cooling medium for a short-distance transport to enhance the cold chain performance in Thailand.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Enhancing supply chain efficiency for air transport of horticultural products by simplified heat and mass transfer modelling
    (2026-08-01)
    Jantapirak, Suveena
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    Duret, Steven
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    Laguerre, Onrawee
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    Denis, Alain
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    Paviet Salomon, Yvanne
    Maintaining temperature and quality stability of fresh horticultural products during air transportation is challenging due to highly variable thermal environments and limited airflow inside Unit Load Device (ULD) containers. This study developed a simplified three-dimensional heat and mass transfer model to predict product temperature and moisture evolution within a ULD container under realistic operating conditions. Plaster mangoes were used to avoid the variability of the real product properties. Convective heat transfer and three-directional thermal resistances were integrated into an unsteady heat balance model while the model parameters were calibrated using Monte Carlo simulation. A complementary mass transfer model, considering the ULD container as a closed moisture domain, was implemented to estimate product mass loss. Model performance was evaluated using cooling experiments under controlled conditions and field measurements in a ULD shipment from Bangkok to Paris by air transport. Simulated air and product temperatures showed good agreement with experimental data, with RMSE values below 3.5 °C. The model successfully captured the pronounced thermal load on top-layer boxes during tarmac exposure and the faster cooling of bottom boxes through conduction with the bottom wall during flight. Predicted mass loss (1.0-1.1%) also aligned with field data (1.1-1.2%). The model provides a practical tool for assessing the effects of operational and environmental conditions on fruit quality during air transport.
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    Item type:Publication,
    A simplified heat transfer model of a closed refrigerated display cabinet
    (2020-06-01) ;
    Laguerre, Onrawee
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    Flick, Denis
    Installation of doors on open refrigerated display cabinets is one of the simple and effective methods to improve the cabinet performance because it can reduce the warm and humid air infiltration into the cabinets. However, the presence of doors can change airflow pattern, which in turn influences the heat transfer and product temperatures. It is, thus, necessary to understand these thermal phenomena. This study proposes a simplified heat transfer model developed based on a zonal approach to describe the evolution of air and product temperatures at different zones in the closed refrigerated display cabinet. For model validation, the predicted values were compared with measured air and load temperatures for three external air temperatures. Good agreement was found between the predicted and measured temperatures with the maximum difference of less than 0.5 °C for every studied position and the overall mean absolute error of 0.2 °C. The model was then used to predict the effect of the air infiltration through the door gaps on the performance of the closed display cabinet in both thermal and energy aspects. This developed model will be further used in the modeling of the cold chain, where several types of refrigeration equipment are used to keep products under low-temperature conditions from production to consumption. Through integration of quality and microbiological predictive models, this approach can be used as a numerical tool for an evaluation tool for consumer risk.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Dataset of air cargo supply chain conditions and fruit quality evolution: Case study of mango shipment from Thailand to France
    (2025-08-01)
    Paviet-Salomon, Y.
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    Laguerre, O.
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    Duret, S.
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    Denis, A.
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    Mawilai, P.
    This study presents a detailed dataset collected during the international transport of mangoes (Mangifera indica L. cv. ‘Nam Dok Mai Si-Thong’) within a fully loaded Unit Load Device (ULD). The ULD contained 148 boxes (14 mangoes/box) and 31 boxes were instrumented by data loggers to monitor air and mango temperatures, as well as air humidity along the shipment. Measurements were recorded every 5 min throughout the 86.2 hour journey from Bangkok (Thailand) to Paris (France), it included cold storage, refrigerated transport, airport warehouse, air transport, and final delivery to the FRISE-INRAE laboratory in Paris suburban. At reception (Day 3), all boxes were stored at two temperatures (16 °C and 21 °C) over 15 days during which mango quality was assessed. Key quality attributes such as mass loss, peel color, pH, sugar content, and visual appearance were evaluated at Day 3, Day 6, Day 9, and Day 15 to highlight the impact of storage conditions on fruit quality. It is to be noticed that the same quality assessment was undertaken after harvest and before the cold storage in Thailand (Day 0). The dataset comprises raw and processed data files that include the temperature and humidity changes over time, as well as the quality evolution. These data are stored in series of txt files, with raw values and processed results i.e. min, max, average values, standard deviation and variance to facilitate future analysis. Additionally, the dataset includes series of jpeg files of mango images at different assessment days. This dataset is valuable for both practical and research purposes. For fruit exporters, it offers the insights into how different positions within a ULD can affect mango quality during a long-distance transport and implements certain measures to minimize quality degradation. For researchers, the dataset provides a base for numerical models validation, such as simplified thermal models and Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. The international supply chain dataset is rare because of the complexity and the cost of implementation.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Influence of long-distance air transport conditions on horticultural product quality: Case study of fresh mango shipment from Thailand to France
    (2023-08-01)
    Laguerre, O.
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    Duret, S.
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    Denis, A.
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    Derens-Bertheau, E.
    Four instrumented boxes of mangoes Mangifera indica L. cv. “Nam Dok Mai” were shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, to Paris, France, without control of the boxes’ positions on the aircraft. Two boxes were shipped via a direct flight and two boxes were shipped via an indirect flight. For each box, the internal air temperature, the external air temperature and relative humidity and surface temperature of two fruits were recorded throughout the supply chain from a packing house in Thailand to a storage room in France. A maximum fruit temperature of 33 °C (during transport from an orchard to the packing house) and a minimum fruit temperature of 8 °C (in a cold room of the logistics company following arrival at the airport in France via the indirect flight) were observed. The slight temperature difference between the air and the fruit surface temperature (< 1 °C on average) for both direct and indirect flights suggests that the air was stagnant inside the box and, thus conduction was the main heat transfer mode. Models of product temperature, mass loss, and peel color changes throughout the supply chain were developed. The numerical and the experimental values were in good agreement. These models were able to predict the product mass loss and peel color evolution as a function of a supply chain scenario.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Experimental study of air cargo temperature variations and its impact on mango quality
    (2024-04-01) ;
    Laguerre, O.
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    Denis, A.
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    Paviet Salomon, Y.
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    Mawilai, P.
    An air cargo supply chain for fresh mango was investigated from Thailand to France. Measurements of air temperature, air relative humidity, and fruit (peel) temperature were conducted using thermo-hygrometer data loggers in cartons. In a Unit Load Device (ULD) containing 148 cartons, twenty-seven instrumented cartons were placed at different positions to observe spatial and temporal temperature variations during 12 h cruising. At the destination, mango quality attributes were assessed at different time-points during 15-day storage at 16.1 °C and 21.6 °C. Throughout the supply chain, fruit temperatures ranged from 16.6 °C to 30.5 °C. During cruising, fruit temperatures in upper cartons remained almost constant, whereas base carton temperatures continuously decreased from 26.1 °C to 18.1 °C. Because of a short cruising period in comparison to a storage duration at the destination and proper ambient temperature condition during the experiment, carton position in the ULD had no discernible impact on fruit quality during storage. Fruit stored at 16.1 °C preserved superior fruit quality compared to 21.6 °C storage. For the same storage temperature, better quality of fruits stored in Thailand demonstrated the impact of air shipment on product degradation. The measured temperature and relative humidity evolutions were used as input parameters of a mass loss evolution model. A comparison with the measured data exhibited good agreement (RMSE < 1.8 % mass loss). Considering 10 % mass loss as a critical value, this model allows an estimation of the product shelf life based on a supply chain scenario.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Temperature control in a horticultural produce supply chain in Thailand and its influence on product quality
    (2022-03-01) ;
    Singphithak, Parinya
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    Laguerre, Onrawee
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    Suwapanich, Rachit
    The present study was conducted in order to investigate the temperature conditions in the horticultural produce cold chain in Thailand, and fresh-cut baby corn was chosen for a case study. The field investigation together with in-person interviews were performed at 4 growers' premises and one packing house. The information collected provided details on current postharvest conditions at individual stages from the growers’ premises to an export distribution center. Temperature measurements were carried out to explore the time-temperature profiles throughout these stages. The results showed that the total duration of these stages was almost 32 h, and the temperature variations were between 6 and 33 °C. Precooling was delayed for at least 9 h, since baby corn cobs were primarily processed by dehusking and bulk packing. The baby corn was maintained at a temperature below 6.0 °C in a cold room for almost half of the total duration. The effect of the postharvest temperature conditions on the product quality evaluation was assessed by measuring various physiological quality attributes during storage. It was found that the marketability of the baby corn subjected to such postharvest temperature conditions remained possible with a salable period of up to two weeks. The result made it possible to identify the stages during which temperature control was inadequate, and recommendations were proposed to the stakeholder partner in order to modify the postharvest conditions in order to extend the product shelf life.