Moisture evaporation prediction model for fresh storage of vegetables in refrigerator.

This work aims to predict the moisture evaporation in vegetable storage drawers of a household refrigerator with considering the operating conditions of a refrigerator and to propose a prediction model of moisture preservation for a long-term storage of vegetables. An experimental equipment was setup to evaluate the operating conditions, such as temperature and humidity control, cold airflow path, and structural design of a drawer. Moisture evaporation in fresh vegetables was evaluated quantitatively, and a new predictive model of moisture evaporation was developed on the basis of the data. The coefficient of determination was 93.2 % in the prediction model developed when spinach and bok choy were used in the basic experiment, which matched well with the experimental data obtained from a real refrigerator test with difference of approximately 0.4 %. We believe that the proposed approach can be utilized in the initial design stage of a vegetable drawer of a household refrigerator and is expected to be implemented in diverse applications related to fresh storage of vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]