Product Storage
During the design of a head house, or overall CEA/MEA facility, consideration should be given to where the finished product will be held before being transferred to the customer. Retail operations selling growing plants often allow the product to remain in the greenhouse until the customer is ready to take possession of the plant. When the plant is to be sold as food, a holding facility separate from the growing area is usually needed. This is often a large refrigerated cooler that will hold the product in cold storage until transfer to the customer. Cooling the product slows microbial growth, reduces maintenance respiration, and extends product shelf life. Food items such as lettuce and herbs can benefit from cold storage (but basil should not be stored below 55 0F.) A document entitled The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks is published in draft form by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA Handbook 66) and can be found:
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66 (accessed July, 2010.)
An accurate calculation of the volume of product to be stored should be determined before construction of the head house is begun such that the cold storage facility can be appropriately sized. The cold storage room should be designed by an engineer and installed by a local refrigeration company. An engineering reference for the design of cold storage facilities may be found in chapters 19-24 of the 2010 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Handbook: Refrigeration.
