Long Distance Shipment of Fresh Commodities & Control of Quarantine Insect Pests Using Low-pressure Intermodal Containers

Tom Davenport Stan Burg

Control of Respiration and Ethylene is Central to Successful Commodity Shipment and Storage

All Fruits and Vegetables Approach a Stage of Maturity As They Develop

Mature Fruit Ripen Soon After Harvest With Full Flavor & Peak Quality Immature Fruit Are Slow to Ripen after Harvest With inferior Flavor and Quality

Refrigerated Intermodal Container Temperature Control Fresh Air Exchange

Mangoes Harvested Immature to Survive Shipment but too Immature for Good Eating Quality

Air Cargo
Advantage Quick Mature Fruit Flowers Disadvantage Heat $ Cost $

Controlled Atmosphere Intermodal Containers Modified Atmosphere Intermodal Containers

Minimal Temps. O2 1% to 5% CO2 3% to 5% Ethylene scrubbed Optimum RH

Prototype 20 ft VacuFresh Intermodal Container for Long Distance Shipment of Horticultural Commodities and Disinfestation of Quarantine Pests

Benefits of Low-pressure Shipment and Storage of Fresh Commodities

Extended Preservation of Quality Disease Control Insect Disinfestation

VacuFresh System is Simple

Chiller Temperature-controlled Container Walls Low-pressure Environment Temperature 13 C [O2] 0.2% at 15 mm Hg [CO2] 0% [Ethylene] 0% RH near 100% Vacuum Pump Gas-tight Components are Essential

Humidifier

Restricted Air Flow

Leak Rate (mm Hg/hr): 0.3 (VacuFresh) 27.6 (NASA) Empty Chamber Conditions: 0C one water-saturated low pressure air change/hr Ambient Conditions: 25C, 50% RH

Effect of Pressure on Respiration Rate

CA limited to 50% reduction in respiration below NA before fermentation sets in. Optimal LP produces 5X less respiratory heat than CA and 10X less than NA.

Total calculated water loss based on respiratory heat compared to actual measured water loss from apples during 2 and 5 months storage at 2C either in 75mm Hg (LP) or 760 mm Hg (NA) from Bangerth (1973). Water loss Storage NA LP Variety (months) Calculated (Actual) Calculated (Actual) Golden Delicious 2 2.9 (2.9) 1.1 (1.0) 5 7.6 (6.3) 3.2 (3.5) Boscoop 2 3.2 (2.1) 0.8 (0.8) 5 6.8 (5.1) 1.6 (1.2)

All Horticultural Commodities Benefit from Low Pressure

Cut Flower Preservation

Vase life of carnations following storage in a prototype Fruehauf 6.1 m (20 ft.) hypobaric container operated at a pressure of 6.67 kPa (50 mm Hg) and temperature of 2C

Ethylene (left) and CO2 (right) production of bud cut White Sim carnations at 20C immediately after harvest (fresh cut) or following five weeks storage at 0C and an LP pressure of 50 mm Hg. (Carpenter and Dilley, 1975)

Disease Control

Figure 7.02. Mean percent growth, compared to growth in air of Pseudomonas fluorescens, Erwinia carotovora, and Erwinia atroseptica, in (upper left) different concentrations of O2 + 3% [CO2]; (upper right) different concentrations of O2 + 0% [ CO2 ]; (lower left) different concentrations of CO2 + 21% [ O2]; (lower right) different concentrations of CO2 + 3% [O2]. Growth in the dark at 21C on a buffered asparagine-yeast extract broth during 16 hours for E. carotovora, 20 hours for P. fluorescens, and 24 hours for E. atroseptica. High purity N2 gas was used to formulate the gas mixtures (Wells, 1974).

VacuFresh

CA

Reefer

Figure 7.06. Effect of hypobaric pressure on (left) colony growth of Geotrichum candidum var. citri aurantii, Penicillium digitatum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata, and (right) spore germination at 23C (Apelbaum and Barkai-Golan, 1977).

Figure 7.07. Incidence of decay in papayas shipped from Hawaii to New York City in an intermodal hypobaric container operated at 10C and a pressure of 2.67 kPa (20 mm Hg), and in a random sampling of the same lot of fruit stored in a refrigerated container at the same temperature and atmospheric pressure. There was no significant advancement in softening or colour development during the 21-day interval from harvest to the first day of the shelf-life test. Hypobaric stored fruits had 63% less peduncle infection, 55% less stem-end rot, and 45% fewer fruit surface lesions than papayas stored at atmospheric pressure in a refrigerated container. Treatments included: W = wax (); B = benomyl plus wax (); T = thiabendazole (TBZ) plus wax (); C = untreated control () (Alvarez, 1980).

CARAMBOLA Stored One Month at 13 C 15 mm Hg

760 mm Hg

LP Preserves

Fully Mature Fruits for Months

Depresses Pathogen Growth

During Shipment

Lack of Maturity Has Risks

Insect Quarantine
Methyl Bromide Fumigation Irradiation Vapor Heat Treatment Hot Water Treatment

Batch Process Hot-water Treatment of Mangoes Up to 90 minutes at 46.1 C

Problems Associated with Immature Mangoes in Hot Water

Postharvest Problems in Mangoes Imported to the United States in Refrigerated Containers

Immature Mangos Can End up Like -

THIS

Following Hot Water Treatment

Internal Damage Below Collapsed Shoulder

Water Enters Fruit via Laticifers To Balance Osmotic Potential

Latex is Forced Out of Laticifers

Water Migrates into Cells Surrounding Laticifers to Balance Osmotic Potential of Cells

Cells Explode Due to Excess Turgor Pressure Releasing Cell Contents into Laticifers Leaving Cell Walls

Internal Damage Below Collapsed Shoulder

Caused by Exchange of Latex and Adjacent Cell Contents with Water Leaving Cell Walls (White Tissue)

Water Entering Fruit Also Carries Microorganisms Yeast

Internal Breakdown Caused by Yeast

Other Postharvest Problems Fungi

Bacteria

External Postharvest Disorders

Skin Discoloration Lenticel Breakdown

Commodities Are Preserved in LP Due to Low O2

Can insects Get Enough O2 To Survive?

Caribbean Fruit Fly Anastrepha suspensa

Lab Scale Low Pressure Apparatus

Vacuum Line

Vacuum Pump Pressure Regulator System

Temperature Controlled Chamber

Treatment Desiccators Ambient Control Pump Vacuum Line

Ambient Control Pump

Draws Humidified Air Through Control Desiccators

Treatment Desiccators

Vacuum Desiccator # 2

Ambient Pressure Control

Flow Control & Humidifiers

Vacuum Desiccator # 1

Mylar Shield

Vacuum Desiccator

Post-treatment Incubation at 29 C

Incubation Bowl

Caribbean Fruit Fly Larvae

Caribbean Fruit Fly Pupae

Average mortality of all eggs exposed over time to 20 mm Hg LP and ambient control. Proportion of the original number of eggs.

Probit 9 10.6 days

Average mortality of all eggs exposed over time to 15 mm Hg LP and ambient control. Proportion of the original number of eggs.

Probit 9 9.44 days

Egg Mortality After 7 Days at 15 mm Hg

Maggotometer yields About 300 Larvae

Caribbean Fruit Fly Larvae Mortality

13 C 15 mm Hg

LP in VacuFresh Intermodal Containers Stores Virtually any Perishable Commodity for Months Cut Flowers Potted Ornamental Plants Mature Tropical Fruit
Mango Papaya

Mature Vegetables Meat

Prototype VacuFresh Intermodal Container

Innovative Rectangular Design

Requirements for Success

Demonstrate Insect Kill at Probit 9 Statistical Level in Fruit Develop Infrastructure for Container Manufacture and Distribution
Ship Fully Mature Fruits & Vegetables Anywhere in the World While Suppressing Decay Killing 100% Quarantine Insects During Shipment

Atlas Technologies Lab Scale Vacuum Chamber

Atlas Technologies Lab Scale Vacuum Chamber

Atlas Technologies Lab Scale Vacuum Chambers in Temperature-controlled Room

Humidifiers

Humidifiers

Conclusions
LP is superior to CA and 1-MCP storage treatments in controlling ethylene production, intercellular concentration, and action. LP storage replaces methyl bromide, heat, and chilling treatments to kill quarantine insects. LP stores produce for months by eliminating all major causes of commodity spoilage.

Thank You