Hydrocooling Vegetables: A Practical Guide to Predicting Final Temperatures and Cooling Times

Excerpts from the report: Hydrocooling, the removal of field heat from fruits and vegetables by cold water, was used for vegetables in Florida in about 1923, and was introduced into California in about 1933. Although hydrocooling has been used for many years, much of the technical information available about the rate of cooling applies primarily to cooling that can be expected under only one or two specific sets of conditions of initial commodity temperature, water temperature, and duration of cooling. Information is limited on the amount of cooling that can be expected for specific commodities hydrocooled under various conditions of initial commodity temperature, water temperature, and exposure time. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide information that will permit accurate predictions of final commodity temperatures when produce having various initial temperatures is hydrocooled in water of various temperatures for various lengths of time and under various exposures, and to present this information so that it will be easy to use. Data are presented for globe artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloups, carrots, cauliflower, celery, sweet corn, peas, potatoes, radishes, and tomatoes.