Temperature control in a horticultural produce supply chain in Thailand and its influence on product quality

Abstract

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.