Loss of moisture during storage is an important parameter that partly determines the storage time and quality of vegetables and fruit. An example: Europe is the largest producer of pears after China, and the Netherlands is the second largest European producer with 16% of the market after Italy (31%). The pear acreage in the Netherlands has increased by more than 60% in the last 20 years to 10,011 Ha and 400,000 tons of production. This growth is driven by the greatly increased exports to countries outside the EU. Due to these exports, year-round supply of good quality and compliance with phytosanitary conditions are becoming increasingly important. A defining bottleneck for both is monitoring and intervening in the moisture balance of fruit during long-term storage. Another example: certain apple varieties need to lose enough moisture to prevent internal brown discoloration. As the storage period progresses, the trade-off between more or less moisture loss must be taken more and more accurately. Water meters are used to measure moisture loss. These meters determine the amount of water that is released during the defrosting of the evaporators. Our water meters are read by our cold store controllers and overviews are displayed in our Scada Reliance user interface. The same cold store controllers also control our ultrasonic humidification units. This gives you a perfect picture of the moisture balance.
