Fresh Produce

Resource efficiency drives product development

Risk is inherent when shipping produce – especially when it is placed on a sea container for a two to three week ride to overseas markets. All too frequently the condition of the fruits or vegetables on arrival is deplorable, with once perfect looking produce rendered a dripping mess leaving the exporter to wonder what went wrong.

Was it a loss of temperature during shipment or some inherent weakness in the product that went undetected in the pre-shipment inspection. Could it have been a microbial contamination of the sea container from a prior shipment? Exporters are used to dealing with temperature problems and care is taken to lead only fresh product that can take teh stress of long distance shipping. Combating decay causing micro-organisms introduced during transit, however, is something that exporters up to now have been powerless to prevent.

US atmosphere management specialist Purfresh believes that it has a answer to the microbial question. The company uses a system that relies on the O3 molecule - better known as ozone - to kill surface and airborne micro-organisms, while zapping produce ripening ethylene gas at the same time. Purfresh utilises an active atmospheremanagementsystem that maintains a consistent but low level dosage of disinfecting ozone within the container while enroute to its destination.

Source: Jeff Long, Asia Fruit Magazine