A simulation model of an integrated blancher/cooler machine has been developed. This is a water blancher system that maximizes the product quality and minimizes the water and energy consumption. With this model, specific energy consumption, enzyme inactivation and blanching capacity can be determined as a function of design variables, such as number of zones in the heating and cooling sections, water flow rate and the specific conditions of the thermal treatment to be applied to the product. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.