Abstract
• Passive cooling blanket (PCB) reduced temperature by a maximum of up to 20 °C. • PCB shows consistent performance across diverse climatic conditions and crop types, maintaining high humidity and stable temperatures. • PCB extended fresh produce shelf life and significantly reduced postharvest losses. • PCB reduced vendor tomato losses by approximately 92% in Uganda. • 97% of Kenyan farmers showed interest in adopting the PCB for improved storage. This study evaluates the effectiveness of evaporative passive cooling blankets (PCBs) in reducing postharvest losses and extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. Using locally available natural materials such as sawdust and charcoal, PCBs were deployed under diverse climatic conditions to assess their capacity for temperature reduction and humidity control. In Kenya, PCBs achieved temperature reductions of up to 10 °C and maintained relative humidity near 95 %, reducing postharvest losses of vegetables by up to 45 % and extending shelf life by 3–4 days. In Uganda, PCB application along the local tomato supply chain lowered average air temperatures by up to 2 °C, with peak reductions of up to 20 °C. This intervention extended tomato shelf life by 2 days and improved market outcomes, although performance was moderated by rainy-season conditions. In Nigeria, PCBs reduced average air temperature by 5 °C, increased relative humidity by 25 %, and decreased tomato weight loss and rot by 32 % and 20 %, respectively. Overall, the use of PCBs reduced postharvest losses by approximately 30 % across the three countries. These findings demonstrate a scalable, low-cost, electricity-free cooling solution suitable for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. By validating PCB performance under real field conditions, this study highlights the potential of passive evaporative cooling technologies to enhance food preservation, reduce waste, and improve food security in resource-limited settings.
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Claims 20
Claim · model-written summary
PCB reduced temperature by up to 20 °C at maximum.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- Passive cooling blanket (PCB)e1
- Outcome
- temperaturee1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Value
- up to 20 °Ce1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e1“Passive cooling blanket (PCB) reduced temperature by a maximum of up to 20 °C”
Claim · model-written summary
PCB maintained high humidity and stable temperatures across diverse climatic conditions and crop types.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBe2
- Outcome
- humidity and stable temperaturese2
- Direction
- maintaining highe2
- Qualifier
- consistent performance across diverse climatic conditions and crop typese2
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e2“PCB shows consistent performance across diverse climatic conditions and crop types, maintaining high humidity and stable temperatures”
Claim · model-written summary
PCB extended fresh produce shelf life.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e3“PCB extended fresh produce shelf life and significantly reduced postharvest losses”
Claim · model-written summary
PCB significantly reduced postharvest losses of fresh produce.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e3“PCB extended fresh produce shelf life and significantly reduced postharvest losses”
Claim · model-written summary
PCB reduced vendor tomato losses by approximately 92% in Uganda.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume4 - Treatment
- PCBe4
- Outcome
- vendor tomato lossese4
- Direction
- reducede4
- Value
- approximately 92%e4
- Setting
- Ugandae4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“PCB reduced vendor tomato losses by approximately 92% in Uganda”
Claim · model-written summary
About 97% of Kenyan farmers showed interest in adopting the PCB.
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e5“97% of Kenyan farmers showed interest in adopting the PCB for improved storage”
Claim · model-written summary
In Kenya, PCBs achieved temperature reductions of up to 10 °C.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBse6
- Outcome
- temperaturee6
- Direction
- reductionse6
- Value
- up to 10 °Ce6
- Setting
- Kenyae6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e6“In Kenya, PCBs achieved temperature reductions of up to 10 °C and maintained relative humidity near 95 %, reducing postharvest losses of vegetables by up to 45 % and extending shelf life by 3–4 days”
Claim · model-written summary
In Kenya, PCBs maintained relative humidity near 95%.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBse6
- Outcome
- relative humiditye6
- Direction
- maintainede6
- Value
- near 95 %e6
- Setting
- Kenyae6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e6“In Kenya, PCBs achieved temperature reductions of up to 10 °C and maintained relative humidity near 95 %, reducing postharvest losses of vegetables by up to 45 % and extending shelf life by 3–4 days”
Claim · model-written summary
In Kenya, PCBs reduced postharvest losses of vegetables by up to 45%.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBse6
- Outcome
- postharvest lossese6
- Direction
- reducinge6
- Value
- up to 45 %e6
- Setting
- Kenyae6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e6“In Kenya, PCBs achieved temperature reductions of up to 10 °C and maintained relative humidity near 95 %, reducing postharvest losses of vegetables by up to 45 % and extending shelf life by 3–4 days”
Claim · model-written summary
In Kenya, PCBs extended shelf life by 3–4 days.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBse6
- Outcome
- shelf lifee6
- Direction
- extendinge6
- Value
- 3–4 dayse6
- Setting
- Kenyae6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e6“In Kenya, PCBs achieved temperature reductions of up to 10 °C and maintained relative humidity near 95 %, reducing postharvest losses of vegetables by up to 45 % and extending shelf life by 3–4 days”
Claim · model-written summary
In Uganda, PCB application along the tomato supply chain lowered average air temperatures by up to 2 °C.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume7
- Treatment
- PCB applicatione7
- Outcome
- average air temperaturese7
- Direction
- lowerede7
- Value
- up to 2 °Ce7
- Setting
- Ugandae7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“In Uganda, PCB application along the local tomato supply chain lowered average air temperatures by up to 2 °C, with peak reductions of up to 20 °C”
Claim · model-written summary
In Uganda, PCB application reduced peak temperatures by up to 20 °C.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume7
- Treatment
- PCB applicatione7
- Outcome
- peak reductionse7
- Direction
- reductionse7
- Value
- up to 20 °Ce7
- Setting
- Ugandae7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“In Uganda, PCB application along the local tomato supply chain lowered average air temperatures by up to 2 °C, with peak reductions of up to 20 °C”
Claim · model-written summary
In Uganda, the intervention extended tomato shelf life by 2 days.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume4
- Treatment
- This interventione4
- Outcome
- shelf lifee4
- Direction
- extendede4
- Value
- 2 dayse4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“This intervention extended tomato shelf life by 2 days and improved market outcomes, although performance was moderated by rainy-season conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
In Uganda, the intervention improved market outcomes, although performance was moderated by rainy-season conditions.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume4
- Treatment
- This interventione4
- Outcome
- market outcomese4
- Direction
- improvede4
- Qualifier
- performance was moderated by rainy-season conditionse4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“This intervention extended tomato shelf life by 2 days and improved market outcomes, although performance was moderated by rainy-season conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
In Nigeria, PCBs reduced average air temperature by 5 °C.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBse5
- Outcome
- average air temperaturee5
- Direction
- reducede5
- Value
- 5 °Ce5
- Setting
- Nigeriae5
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e5“In Nigeria, PCBs reduced average air temperature by 5 °C, increased relative humidity by 25 %, and decreased tomato weight loss and rot by 32 % and 20 %, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
In Nigeria, PCBs increased relative humidity by 25%.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- PCBse5
- Outcome
- relative humiditye5
- Direction
- increasede5
- Value
- 25 %e5
- Setting
- Nigeriae5
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e5“In Nigeria, PCBs reduced average air temperature by 5 °C, increased relative humidity by 25 %, and decreased tomato weight loss and rot by 32 % and 20 %, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
In Nigeria, PCBs decreased tomato weight loss by 32%.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume5
- Treatment
- PCBse5
- Outcome
- weight losse5
- Direction
- decreasede5
- Value
- 32 %e5
- Setting
- Nigeriae5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“In Nigeria, PCBs reduced average air temperature by 5 °C, increased relative humidity by 25 %, and decreased tomato weight loss and rot by 32 % and 20 %, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
In Nigeria, PCBs decreased tomato rot by 20%.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume5
- Treatment
- PCBse5
- Outcome
- rote5
- Direction
- decreasede5
- Value
- 20 %e5
- Setting
- Nigeriae5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“In Nigeria, PCBs reduced average air temperature by 5 °C, increased relative humidity by 25 %, and decreased tomato weight loss and rot by 32 % and 20 %, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Across the three countries, PCBs reduced postharvest losses by approximately 30%.
- Taxon
- fresh producet0
- Treatment
- the use of PCBse6
- Outcome
- postharvest lossese6
- Direction
- reducede6
- Value
- approximately 30 %e6
- Setting
- the three countriese6
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e6“the use of PCBs reduced postharvest losses by approximately 30 % across the three countries”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend the PCB as a scalable, low-cost, electricity-free cooling solution for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Verbatim
t0“preserve fresh produce in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria”
e7“These findings demonstrate a scalable, low-cost, electricity-free cooling solution suitable for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa”
The same questions in other papers
processing · organism · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
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- no effect
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See all 26 papers →processing · disease · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
24 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
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See all 27 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.