Mathematical modeling of airflow and heat transfer during forced convection cooling of produce considering various package vent areas

The influence of different package vent configurations, including ventilated packages with 1, 3 and 5 vents, on produce temperature distribution during forced convection cooling of produce was investigated by mathematical modeling of simultaneous airflow and heat transfer. Generally, produce cooling uniformity was increased by increasing the number of vents from 1 to 5. Produce cooling heterogeneity increased until about 90 min cooling and subsequently decreased with further cooling in all 3 ventilated packages. The methodology developed in this study can be used as a design tool to provide homogeneous temperature distribution in ventilated packages during forced convection cooling of produce.