/ilab/b/news/posts/shelflifeHave you ever gone to the fridge to find your last couple of apples spoiled? Or maybe the tomatoes were left out too long and started to rot. If you&rsquo;ve experienced either of these situations or any other disappointing time when you came across ...en-USTelligent Community 13https://vlab.virginia.edu/ilab/b/news/posts/shelflifeWed, 05 Aug 2020 18:45:58 GMTae514cbc-3b7b-4593-9af5-883c9a5da328:bfbb6225-e568-49ef-a240-6ef64b3ab00aRobert Guterma1<p>1. I see the need for this product. Brilliant idea. But how will you make this into a&nbsp;<em><strong>company</strong></em>? What would stop appliance manufacturers from seeing the promise of the idea and just building it into their own fridges themselves?<br /><br />2. The energy to run the pump to depressurize after every time someone opens the drawer -- how much does this amount to for average opening/closing use of the drawers? Would the net energy consumption be less than the energy content of the food being saved? I know it seems abstract but if it takes 1000 kJ to to preserve 500 kJ of food energy, and depending on where the energy comes from (i.e. coal vs. clean), it might not be a net win for the environment OR the household finances (also depends on cost of electricity). Lots of variables...</p><img src="https://vlab.virginia.edu/aggbug?PostID=343&AppID=44&AppType=Weblog&ContentType=0" width="1" height="1">