Use of storage system set to grow

Hort Air owner Jason Anderson believes that Controlled Atmosphere storage systems are going to increasingly come into favour. Photo / John Borren

Hort Air owner Jason Anderson believes Controlled Atmosphere storage systems are going to increasingly come into favour, as greater volumes of kiwifruit come on to the market. Some packhouse operators agree, but note the industry is still going through a learning curve in packing out the new Gold (G3) variety from Controlled Atmosphere rooms into trays.

Mr Anderson, who is based in Tauranga but works across the country in key fruit-growing regions, holds the New Zealand and Australian agency for leading French manufacturer Absoger.

"Controlled Atmosphere storage is going to have to come more into play," said Mr Anderson, who predicted packhouses and storage facilities would have difficulties managing the additional volumes of kiwifruit with G3 coming onstream.

Sealed Controlled Atmosphere room systems slow down the ripening process and effectively send the fruit into hibernation. "With Controlled Atmosphere rooms, packhouses can hold the fruit for longer."

In addition to handling Absoger, Hort Air has also developed an extensive parts supply network that allows the company to service most systems used in New Zealand.

"I could see a hole in the market to have more rental gear, and also to become a one-stop shop for Controlled Atmosphere equipment."

The company's recent activities have included two large projects: an eight-room facility for kiwifruit packhouse GB Storage in Victoria, Australia, and a six-room installation for pear grower RJ Flowers in Hastings.

Murray Gough, general manager of Mount Pack and Cool (MPAC), said it had 25 per cent of its packing capacity in Controlled Atmosphere rooms.

MPAC was currently using Controlled Atmosphere for green kiwifruit, where its use was well understood.

But, he said, post-harvest operators were still on a learning curve with the new Gold. G3 was a smoother fruit and there could be condensation problems, once it came out of the Controlled Atmosphere room and into the packhouse, which prevented labels from sticking to the fruit. "The experience is that you really need to modify the humidity in the packing room for G3 fruit that has been stored in Controlled Atmosphere.

"Controlled Atmosphere definitely has the potential to spread the packing window and improve overall utilisation of equipment such as grading machines," said Mr Gough.

Simon Wells, general manager growers for Seeka Kiwifruit Industries, said the company used Controlled Atmosphere as a tool for kiwifruit, as did a number of other post-harvest operators. In the most recent season, Seeka also used Controlled Atmosphere only for storing Green, and the process accounted for about six per cent of the Green crop it processed.

He noted there were some disadvantages with Controlled Atmosphere, because the rooms had to be loaded at optimum maturity within a limited harvest timeframe.

But, because G3 was harvested earlier than Green, Controlled Atmosphere offered opportunities to expand the processing window.

Controlled Atmosphere (CA)

CA storage systems inhibit fruit ripening by regulating oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen concentrations, as well as temperature and humidity, within a sealed atmosphere.