Evaluating an upward ventilation system for Short-term Storage of Pre-Treated Potato Tubers

Potato is considered one of the main agricultural crops, and its proper storage plays a vital role in the human food supply chain. The method of storage has a significant impact on its quality. This study was conducted to design, construct, and evaluate an upward ventilation system using a blower to achieve better and shorter-term storage conditions for potatoes compared to traditional storage periods. The experiment included four different treatments: control, sprayed with water, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) coating, and CMC coating containing cinnamaldehyde essential oil. The study was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications. The results of tissue firmness evaluation on the twelfth day showed that the moist treatment had the highest increase in elastic modulus, with a ۵۶.۸۰% rise. Moisture loss assessment on the twelfth day revealed that the moist treatment had the lowest moisture loss at ۲.۱%, which was significantly different from the other treatments. Additionally, the starch content analysis on the twelfth day indicated a ۶.۱۹% increase in the starch content of the control treatment, while the other treatments showed a reduction in starch content. The starch content in the CMC and moist treatments remained at the same level. Overall, the coated treatments especially CMC and moist demonstrated better performance in preserving the quality of potatoes compared to the control, and can be considered suitable options for improving the short-term storage quality of potatoes under storage conditions.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cooling system ، Potato storage ، Quality attributes ، Edible coating ، Cinnamaldehyde