ABSTRACT A promising cold-chain protocol is explored as an alternative to the commonly used forced-air pre- cooling (FAC) of citrus fruit prior to shipping: ambient loading of fruit in reefer containers for cooling during long haul marine transport. Despite the multiple logistical and economical savings it provides, the potential of "ambient loading" of fruit in reefer containers has been left largely unexplored. The present study targets this practice, but also cooling by vertical airflow in general. Computational fluid dynamics used to identify differences in cooling rate and uniformity between individual boxes at different heights and between individual fruit within a single box. Simulations show that low airflow on a pallet rates, typical do not only induce slower fruit cooling, compared to between rates, but for refrigerated different layers of boxes (in height) and also the cooling heterogeneity between individual fruit in a single box is addition, the presence of gaps between improvement short-circuiting, leading to highly reduced fruit cooling rates. Finally, strategies for future of the ambient loading protocol are proposed, which in the first place should target faster and more uniform cooling. o 2015 Elsevier BV. All rights reserved