Monday, February 02, 2004

After extensive experimentation and commercial trials, TransFRESH Africa has added lychees to the list of commodities that are shipped to Europe using the Tectrol Controlled Atmosphere system.

Traditionally lychees grown for export in South Africa have been shipped using porthole containers. However due to the development of mold on the fruit during shipping, it became necessary to use integral reefers with a CA capability.

In conjunction with the Institute for Citrus and Subtropical fruits based in the growing region, research was undertaken to develop an atmosphere, which would benefit the fruit in transit. Once the optimum atmosphere combination was established, commercial trials were conducted with the cooperation of one of the largest South African lychee exporters. This has proved to be an extremely successful venture and more of the South African crop is now being shipped in controlled atmosphere.

From a technical point of view, the reason for using controlled atmosphere for lychees lies in the so-called "fungi static" effect provided by the elevated carbon dioxide level. This gas, at certain levels, will control and inhibit the development of molds that cause spoilage of the fruit. It is also important to note that not all CA systems can deliver the required atmosphere unless a supplemental source of carbon dioxide is provided. The Tectrol CA system by design is able to provide and sustain the required atmosphere from the time the controller is serviced, to arrival at it's final destination, another good reason to use TransFRESH Tectrol Controlled Atmosphere.