Vacuum cooling:  Rocky Thomas or Timmy Thomas      Freight:  Tom LiIes, email 1-800-843-7303    

      1-803-794-2875     Fax 1-803-796-1685   1028 Shull Street  West Columbia, SC 29169

                          

State Farmers Market PO Box 13503 Columbia, SC 29201  1.800.845.2330 office 803.799.0504  fax 803.771.4618  email VBHook@VBHook.com

Vacuum cooling is a rapid type of pre-cooling, which helps preserve vegetables by putting them in an almost complete vacuum. The field heat and heat from the vegetables biological processes are used as water changes to vapor and the vegetables become increasingly cooler. Vacuum cooling has been proven to help keep vegetables in good marketable condition while in storage or transit.

CliThe most rapid deterioration in quality of produce occurs soon after harvest, so the quicker the produce is vacuum cooled, the longer it will retain its initial quality. Produce can be vacuum cooled just as readily when packaged. The container does not effect the vacuum cooling as long as the container is not completely sealed. Most lettuce and almost any vegetable can be vacuum cooled.  Click here   for a partial list.

V.B. Hook Vacuum Cooling Company has been in business for over 40 years and we have portable vacuum coolers available for cooling almost any type of vegetable. The units are transported behind a semi-tractor and can be set-up almost anywhere a large truck can go. These portable units are powered by self-contained diesel engines. The vacuum coolers weighs approximately 60,000 lbs. The cooling tube is 22 feet long with entire machine being 44 feet. The tube can be loaded with up to 5 pallets (approx. 150 boxes of lettuce or 260 boxes of peppers) at a time. The cooling time for loads are between 15-25 minutes, depending on type of produce being cooled.