Automação no agronegócio de pequeno porte: equipamento para higienização de morangos

Abstract

Agribusiness is one of the main sources of wealth of Brazil, including the small, medium, and large agricultural production. Technology is a means by which small-scale producers could become competitive, but there are capital constraints for such producers, requiring technological improvement that is accessible both educationally and economically. This paper proposes the creation of a technological solution for small-scale strawberry producers located in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, through the construction of a hygienic equipment prototype that performs a wet cleaning of the fruits. Bibliographic research was conducted to obtain the main features of strawberries and to consider it for the implementation of the prototype. Through analysis with strawberry samples, the effectiveness of the hygiene process was evaluated, in which the samples hygienised through the prototype preserved the same organoleptic characteristics and the same useful life of the unhygienic ones, in conditions of refrigeration and low humidity.