The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between three velocities and three temperatures of the air used to precool Fuji apples down to 5ºC. The treatments resulted from the combination of three temperatures (-1, -2 or -3ºC) and three air velocities (1, 2 or 3 m.s-1). The results indicate that the fruit cooling rate increases and the time for cooling decreases with increases in air velocity from 1 to 3 m.s-1 and decreases in air temperature from -1 to -3ºC. The rate and time of cooling of the apples are much more dependent upon the velocity of the cooling air than the air temperature at the entrance. There is also a relationship between fruit cooling rate and the position of the boxes in the tunnel. With cooling air in the velocity of the 3m.s-1 and temperature of -3ºC it was possible to cool down apples from 25 to 5ºC in 40 minutes.
Air temperature; air velocity
