Pineapple refrigeration. Loading of pineapples into container for export market
Storage: Pineapples require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and ventilation conditions. Recommended ventilation conditions: air exchange rate 40-60 times per hour with constant supply of fresh air, so as constantly to remove the ripening gases arising and to keep the CO2 content of the hold air low. Spoilage may occur as a result both of inadequate ventilation (danger of rotting) and of excessive ventilation (drying-out, weight loss. During storage, the disease can also infect green fruit. Ripe or bruised pineapples are highly susceptible to yeasty rot. Fresh pineapple is also susceptible to fruit rot caused by Ceratocystis paradoxa. The fruit shell becomes water-soaked and disintegrates and the underlying tissue becomes soft, watery and discolored. Both diseases can be managed by careful handling to avoid mechanical damage to the fruit. For control of black rot, dipping the peduncle cut end in 500 ppm benomyl immediately after trimming will provide some control.
Careful crop handling and postharvest contribute to the maintenance of quality of the products. Most pineapple cultivars can normally be stored for 4-5 weeks at 8-10ºC with a relative humidity of 90%. Use of an appropriate packing with a safe and functional protection can keep the quality of the pineapple until arrival to the final market.
For canned pineapple can sizes used are: 608x700 (108 oz), with a net weight of 3030 oz, 6 cans per box and a total weight of 20 kg per box; size 401x411 (30 oz), with a net weight per can of 820 oz, 24 cans per box and a total weight 24 kg per box; size 307x409 (20 oz), with a net weight of 560 oz, 24 cans per box and a total weight of 16 kg per box; size 307x309 (15 oz), with a net weight of 425 oz, 24 cans per box and a total weight of 13 kg per box; and size 307x201 (8 oz), with a net weight of 227 oz, 24 cans per box and a weight of 7 kg per box. The packing is in corrugated cardboard carton to prevent dents during transportation. The packing in tray of 12 cans for retail can size is available with and without shrink wrapping. Products can also be palletized on wooden pallet or slip sheet for the convenience of handling. For industrial use, product of 108 oz. can be palletized without cartons. Pineapple juice is extracted from selected fruits where pulp is controlled to the requirement. NFC (not from concentrate) pineapple juice is single strength at 12 +/- 1ºBrix. It is aseptically processed, while some juice will be processed through evaporators to the desired Brix. All juice and concentrate will be stored in cold storage to preserve the quality. Frozen concentrate is stored at the temperature of -20ºC. Aseptic product can be stored at the ambient temperature but it is recommended to be stored at 5ºC in order to preserve the quality and to prolong the storage life and packed in steel drum or wooden bin. The canned pineapples are packed in accordance with the US FDA, and are available in different sizes to serve both retail and institutional purposes.
The pallets, properly maintained in refrigeration chambers are loaded in the refrigerated containers. Each container has a capacity of 1500 boxes of 20kg and/or 3000 approximately boxes of 10kg. The refrigerated container is maintained at 7.5 - 8ºC prior to export. Each container has a thermograph for the control and registration of the temperature while traveling as well as with the respective filters for the control of the ethylene.
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Pineapple refrigeration. Loading of pineapples into container for export market |
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Transportation: Marketing and physical distribution of fresh pineapples inherently means moving the produce. The fruits are handled, either manually or mechanically, many times from harvest and through the distribution process before the consumer buys and prepares them to eat.
For domestic transportation the use of road vehicles offers substantial advantages of convenience, availability, flexibility permitting door-to-door delivery, and reasonable cost of transport. The use of road transportation for fresh produce is increasing and likely to increase in countries all over the world. Produce may be transported by pick-up, enclosed truck, open truck or refrigerated vehicle.
In the export market, the Malaysian experience indicates that the fruit can be exported without much problem to Asian markets including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and West Asia. Pineapple is one of the very few fruits that can be exported to Japan in fresh form without any quarantine restrictions because it is not a host for fruit flies. The fruit can also be exported to Europe provided the total handling time from harvesting till marketing does not exceed 5 weeks. Fresh pineapples have been exported from Malaysia regularly by sea-reefers to West Asia since 1992.
Where sea-shipment is to be used, the fruit should be harvested on the day prior to shipment. Green fruit should be stored at 10ºC, 85 to 95% relative humidity, and under these conditions, should have a storage life of two to three weeks. This will be dependent on the sugar content and the agronomic conditions during production, in addition to the handling and storage procedures. Where exports are made by air with fruit harvested at more advanced stages of maturity, pre-export storage can be used and the suitable storage temperature decreases to 7.5ºC, 85 to 95% relative humidity.
Potential Post-harvest Losses: Losses in pineapples during air-transport are minimal if careful handling is employed. On sea-shipments and long term storage however, the fruit are more susceptible to post-harvest losses as a result of increased handling, control of temperature and disease incidence.
Mechanical damage: Bruising or puncturing caused by poor handling, dropping or abrasion, will result in localized areas of softening and development of secondary microbial infection.