Identifying the cooling heterogeneity and quality decay of Indian mangoes during cold chain export by multiphysics modeling

Abstract Prediction and analysis of temperature‐based quality evolution of those perishables subjected to extreme temperatures in a shipment can guide the stakeholders and decision‐makers regarding the final quality of shipment and export mode. This study aims to forecast the temperature heterogeneity among the perishables packed in a standard ventilated carton for sea‐borne cold chain and airways export, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. The biochemical processes affecting the fruit quality are also evaluated, and the overall quality is predicted with the help of the Kinetic rate law model. The case of an Indian mango export to United States is considered for the present study, and a preferable export mode is suggested. The model is experimentally validated with a discrepancy of 1.516 K (RMSE) and 9.504% (MAPE), respectively. The findings indicate more heterogeneous temperature distribution in the case of seaways export (nearly 3 K) compared to airways (1.5 K). The temperature‐dependent quality attributes, following different kinetics, decays by 46% and 89.6% on the 10th day of seaways export. This observation indicates that the mangoes will be spoiled in transit as seaways export to United States takes around 28 days. From these observations, under the given transit conditions, it is recommended to export mangoes via airways to the United States from India, which takes about 3 days. Practical Applications Monitoring the temperature of perishables is an indispensable part of cold chain export for maintaining their quality and extending their shelf life. This study proposes a virtual or simulation‐based approach to analyze the cooling behavior of individual mangoes and hence predict the evolution of its various quality attributes, passing through different stages of the cold chain. The technique used is quite promising in predicting the export potential and export mode of the produce before the actual export process takes place, thus preventing excessive in‐transit loss. The method mentioned above is applied in an illustrative case study of Indian mango export to the United States. Its application can be further extended to the export of other perishables to various importing countries.