Temperature Heterogeneity Study in Cold Storage and Its Effect on Low-Temperature Sweetening (LTS) in Potato Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to study airflow and temperature distribution in cold storage and finding temperature levels. Total sugar, reducing sugar and sucrose of potato tubers cv Sante stored at 5 °C and relative humidity of 80%, were extracted. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the concentration of total sugars, reducing sugar and sucrose due to temperature distribution heterogeneity.It led to a 2 °C difference between the warmest and coldest points in product mass. Changes in the content of sugars were matched with simulated temperature contours. The rate of increase in soluble sugars was predicted by reducing 1 °C air temperature. Total sugars, sucrose, and reducing sugar were 4.27, 3.15 and 0.67 mg/g dry matter, respectively. Computational fluid dynamics, by analyzing fluid flow and distributing temperature and detected critical areas, leads to improving packaging and product placement, and improve airflow in the stack.