ShareKeeping fruit and vegetable fresh longer without a fridge
The Wakati stores increases the short-term storage time for fruit and vegetable without refrigeration
The Wakati stores increases the short-term storage time for fruit and vegetable without refrigeration.
For farmers in developing countries without access to electricity and thus to refrigerators, a great deal of produce, and therefore profit, can be lost through spoilage.
The new device Wakati, seeks to tackle this problem by increasing the short-term storage time for fruit and vegetable. The Wakati stores produce crops in a sterilized microclimate.
In addition to a 3 W solar panel, the device comprises a top-loading tent-like structure, in which up to 150 kg of produce can be stored, and a solar-powered ventilator. The ventilator gradually evaporates a weekly supply of 200 ml of water creating a humid environment within the tent.
Company founder Arne Pauwels explains that the humid environment created by the Wakati helps to reduce the extent to which crops dry out after being harvested. According to him, the cells of the crops are kept intact and the acids and enzymes inside the cells that would otherwise begin to digest the crops are kept contained.
Unlike a refrigerator, the Wakati does not control temperature and, therefore, cannot store fruit and vegetable for long-term periods. However, tests on the Wakati have shown that a one or two-day shelf-life in a hot climate can be increased to 10 days.
The first batch of 100 Wakatis has already been supplied to Haiti, Uganda and Afghanistan and Pauwels says that the company is ready to go into full production at an initial cost of USD 100 per unit.
For farmers in developing countries without access to electricity and thus to refrigerators, a great deal of produce, and therefore profit, can be lost through spoilage.
The new device Wakati, seeks to tackle this problem by increasing the short-term storage time for fruit and vegetable. The Wakati stores produce crops in a sterilized microclimate.
In addition to a 3 W solar panel, the device comprises a top-loading tent-like structure, in which up to 150 kg of produce can be stored, and a solar-powered ventilator. The ventilator gradually evaporates a weekly supply of 200 ml of water creating a humid environment within the tent.
Company founder Arne Pauwels explains that the humid environment created by the Wakati helps to reduce the extent to which crops dry out after being harvested. According to him, the cells of the crops are kept intact and the acids and enzymes inside the cells that would otherwise begin to digest the crops are kept contained.
Unlike a refrigerator, the Wakati does not control temperature and, therefore, cannot store fruit and vegetable for long-term periods. However, tests on the Wakati have shown that a one or two-day shelf-life in a hot climate can be increased to 10 days.
The first batch of 100 Wakatis has already been supplied to Haiti, Uganda and Afghanistan and Pauwels says that the company is ready to go into full production at an initial cost of USD 100 per unit.