Research progress of cold chain transport technology for storage fruits and vegetables

Phase change materials (PCMs) have become a research hotspot in the field of energy storage due to their high energy storage density. Fruits and vegetables have the characteristics of perishability, temperature sensitivity, and cross-regional transportation, which makes their transportation and distribution technical requirements higher. Traditional mechanical refrigeration is prone to temperature fluctuation and high carbon emission during transportation. Therefore, PCMs has great application potential in the cold chain transportation of fruits and vegetables, and its application will help improve food safety and save energy. This paper analyzes the characteristics of fruit and vegetable cold chain logistics, and introduces the composition of the cold storage box, summarizes the application and research of phase change cold storage technology in cold chain transportation. A summary analysis including the refrigeration, temperature control, heat insulation, and energy-saving effects of PCMs, points out the research prospects of transportation equipment and problems that need to be solved, and provides a reference for building a more complete and efficient cold chain transportation system for fruits and vegetables in the future.