A significant portion of produce is wasted before reaching consumers due to inefficient storage and transport practices, with 30–40% of fruits and vegetables lost between harvest and consumption (Ranjan and Sahni 2023). Traditionally, warehouses are designed based on the temperature and humidity needs of the stored produce, but other factors like air circulation, crate stacking, and produce respiration also impact quality. These factors are critical for reducing wastage during storage and packaging. This paper presents a combined respiration and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to predict the quality of individual produce items stored in containers. The model uses respiration gases around the produce to analyze the factors affecting quality during storage. The single-produce model was developed and validated for avocado, tomato, and banana. Our study found strong agreement, with less than 5% deviation, between experimental results and simulations for produce respiration. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the factors influencing produce quality in warehouses, helping to control storage parameters, optimize cold storage design, and reduce produce waste. This model also offers benefits in terms of energy efficiency and inventory management, contributing to more sustainable food supply chains.
