From growing and harvesting to post-harvest processing and retailing, food loss and waste creation happens at every stage of the crop. While the world wastes about 1.4 billion tons of food each year, the U.S. alone accounts for 40 million tons of that wastage, which is approximately 30% to 40% of the total food supply in the U.S. In Canada too, food waste costs are high and continue to rise steadily. Although a portion of these losses happens on farms, the post-harvest and processing stages of food also make up a significant portion of the total food wastage in North America.
Vegetable growers may go through crop loss at the farm level due to weather, pests and diseases, overproduction, and market conditions. However, processors usually see failures due to input quality or cold chain issues during storage, packaging, and distribution. An advanced technology, such as Deepchill®, can help achieve optimum temperature and humidity control. This can go a long way in reducing post-harvest product losses and allow businesses to package and market high-quality, long-lasting produce.
Superchilling Solutions for High-Quality Produce and Optimized Operations
Our Deepchill® system consists of microcrystals that thoroughly coat the produce, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, asparagus and many other vegetables retailed fresh. The microcrystals easily reach the florets and crowns to provide maximum cooling power, ensuring that your product remains in field fresh quality throughout its post-harvest lifecycle.
Here are some of the main advantages of the Deepchill® system:
Fastest Chill Rate: The system offers rapid and uniform cooling, reducing the core product temperature close to 0°C within 10 minutes. The quick removal of field heat halts the degradation process in its tracks and reduces respiration rate.
- Better Moisture Retention As Deepchill® provides a complete coverage; it locks in product moisture and prevents drying, wilting or yellowing of the crop.
- Longer Shelf life: With better temperature control and moisture retention, Deepchill® extends the shelf life of produce, enabling products to be shipped farther.
- Superior cooling: Deepchill®’s tiny crystals, tightly pack around the product, leaving no hot pockets within the This helps to avoid pre-mature melting associated with flake ice or crushed ice and eliminate re-icing needs. allowing you an extended shipping and retailing window and expanded reach to farther markets.
- No Compromise on Hygiene: Deepchill® systems are USDA-certified and because systems are fully closed, they eliminate potential contamination points and facilitate compliance with HACCP. Your business can meet the highest standards of food safety and quality applications in the most profitable markets.
- Increased Operational Efficiencies: Deepchill® is about 20% more energy efficient to produce and apply as compared to industrial ice machines. Due to its pumpable nature, you can add Deepchill® directly to the packing cartons or bags, reducing the time, effort, and costs of moving ice within the facility. Overall, it minimizes water and ice wastage, brings down your packaging time and labour costs, and significantly improves your operational efficiencies and business profitability.
Grow your Business with Deepchill®
At Deepchill Solutions Inc., we provide superior slurry ice cooling solutions to vegetable growers across the world. Read more about how our Deepchill® systems helped revolutionized the fresh broccoli packing business for Sandovegetales, a vegetable farm in Guanajuato, Mexico.
The versatile, adaptable, and efficient Deepchill® systems reduce post-harvest losses, enhances product quality and shelf life, and enable farmers to extend their reach to newer and more profitable markets.
Call +1 (905) 856 – 0400 or fill out our savings calculator to find out how we can help you save! Our experts look forward to developing suitable Deepchill® solutions that perfectly integrate into your operations.