Vacuum cooling is a rapid type of pre-cooling, which helps preserve vegetables.

The most rapid deterioration in quality of produce occurs soon after harvest, so the quicker the produce is vacuum cooled, the longer it will retain its initial quality.

Cooling is done by the extremely rapid evaporation of water from certain vegetables when they are placed in an almost complete vacuum. The rate of vacuum cooling depends primarily upon the ratio of the amount of surface area of the product to its volume and weight (its surface-to-mass ratio) and the ease with which a product gives up water from its tissues. Hence, leafy vegetables such as spinach, leaf lettuce and soft heads of iceberg lettuce are easy to cool (and cool rapidly) because of their large surface (leaf) area-to-mass ratios.

Benefits of Vacuum Cooling of Product

• Freshness improvement
• Shelf life of product extended
• Slight dehumidification 1%/10 degrees F
• Marketability of product by being able to assure longer shelf life
• Eliminates need for icing of product in many, many cases
• Cooling is effective after packaging is complete, provided there are ventilation holes in package for release of heat
• Units can be located anywhere
• Don't have to be in a permanent location
• Various sizes, 2 pallet machine up to 12 pallets

Cycle time of Product

• Typical cycle times depending on product range from 15 minutes on high surface area to mass ratio to 40 minutes on low surface area to mass ratio crops

Options

• Hydro-vac
• Diesel powered

Units

• Our units have been tried, tested and true in the four seasons of extreme's in Canada, North America
• Fully portable units for Winter and Summer
• All components used on our Vacuum Coolers are ULC/CRN approved
• Vacuum Pumps are of the highest quality and carry a 2 year warranty (under certain conditions)