In the realm of fresh flower transportation, maintaining optimal conditions is crucial to ensure the blooms reach their destination in pristine condition. One innovative technology that has revolutionized this process is vacuum cooling. This advanced cooling method has gained prominence in the floral industry for its ability to extend the shelf life of flowers and preserve their aesthetic appeal during transportation. As you may guess - today we are going to talk about vacuum cooling.
What is a vacuum cooling?
Vacuum cooling is a rapid cooling process that involves reducing the pressure around a product to lower its temperature. This method is particularly effective for flowers, as it helps prevent wilting and extends their post-harvest life. The basic principle behind vacuum cooling lies in the fact that water boils at lower temperatures under reduced pressure. By creating a vacuum, the water inside the flowers evaporates at lower temperatures, effectively cooling them down.
Once we understand what is a vacuum cooling, now let’s talk why people use it.
Main advantages of vacuum cooling for flower transportation
- Preservation of Aesthetic Quality: Vacuum cooling helps in preserving the natural colors and shapes of flowers. This is especially important in the floral industry where the visual appeal of the blooms is a significant factor.
- Extended Shelf Life: By inhibiting the metabolic processes and microbial growth, vacuum cooling extends the shelf life of flowers. This is a crucial benefit for flower transportation, allowing them to stay vibrant for a more extended period.
- Energy Efficiency: Vacuum cooling is an energy-efficient method compared to traditional cooling methods. It requires less energy to cool flowers rapidly, making it a sustainable option for the floral industry.
- Reduced Water Loss: Traditional cooling methods can lead to water loss in flowers, resulting in wilting. Vacuum cooling minimizes water loss, ensuring the flowers remain hydrated and turgid throughout the transportation process.
- Bacterial and Fungal Growth Prevention: The rapid cooling inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi, reducing the risk of diseases that can affect the flowers during transportation.
As you see, there are multiple benefits of using vacuum cooling. However, not for all clients vacuum cooling is needed, below you can find the most often cases when you should consider using vacuum cooling to preserve flowers’ freshness:
- High Ambient Temperatures: In regions or seasons with high ambient temperatures, flowers are more susceptible to heat stress, leading to premature wilting. Vacuum cooling is effective in quickly lowering the temperature of flowers after harvest, mitigating the impact of hot weather conditions.
- Bulk Processing and Shipping: For large-scale flower production and shipping, vacuum cooling provides an efficient method for bulk processing. It allows you to cool a significant quantity of flowers uniformly, ensuring consistency in quality throughout the batch.
- Temperature-Sensitive Varieties: Some flower varieties are highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Vacuum cooling allows for precise control of the cooling process, ensuring that the flowers are brought to an optimal temperature without the risk of freezing.
- Long-Distance Transportation: If flowers are needed to be transported over long distances to reach markets or customers (for example: Quito - Astana using road transportation) , vacuum cooling becomes essential. It helps in preventing wilting and maintaining the freshness of the flowers during the extended journey.
In summary, vacuum cooling is a valuable tool in situations where rapid and precise cooling is required to maintain the quality, freshness, and shelf life of temperature-sensitive and perishable products. Assess the specific needs of your products and consider vacuum cooling when these criteria align with your requirements.
Vacuum cooling and many other important for flower transportation service you can always order, booking transportation with Cargo.Flowers. We do our best to deliver your shipment as fast as possible with the best rates!
