Context:
Recently, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K) has introduced Solar Assisted Reefer Transportation with Hybrid Controls and Intelligence (SARTHI) system.
About SARTHI System:
- This is an innovative solution which deals with the reduction of post-harvest losses in perishable food transportation.
- Features
- It possesses two compartments intended to store fruits and vegetables at different temperatures, hence covering their specific storage requirements.
- It is an integration of IoT and real-time monitoring.
- The captured information by sensors via IoT can be transmitted through the cloud and downloaded on a smart phone app to come up with the real-time quality parameters and physiological changes occurring during the process of transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Sensors for temperature, humidity, ethylene, and levels of CO2 to get communicated with mobile application to evaluate qualities.
- It houses a solar-powered air-handling unit that offers temperature regulation when the truck is stationary.
Benefit:
- This design helps to manage shelf life and prevent losses from chilling injury or moisture loss.
- This technology can enable the transporters to make informed decisions like rerouting produce towards closer markets in case spoilage takes place, hence reducing energy wastage and reduced carbon footprints.
-Source: The Hindu
