Perishables must arrive in excellen

Perishables must arrive in excellent condition for acceptance in the marketplace. The appearance is as important as the taste and aroma. Who wants a damaged apple?

In order to optimise conditions for successful marketing a quick transit time and seamless operation enroute is an obvious first prerequisite.

When planning the worldwide logistics process for perishables, factors such as temperature, atmosphere, humidity and correct packing and loading are also important. Product characteristics such as respiration, water loss, sensitivity to ethylene levels, handling practices and maturity must also be taken into consideration.

Perishables ready to be transported must be fresh and sound, obviously without skin damage or other defects. This is the responsibility of the grower or exporter. Preshipment damage can increase ethylene emissions which may cause decay also of surrounding fruit.

Reefer logistics, especially for perishables, is our field of expertise. Though our company is not very old, our collective experience counts more than a hundred years. During that time we have experienced success and mistakes, and learned our lesson from both. Why not take advantage of that. If you are not already a client of ours, you are always welcome to contact LCL.

Container check and Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI)
Before a container is released to one of our customers, a Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI) is carried out. The PTI is a thorough check of the container and the operation of the refrigerating machinery. This inspection ensures that the reefer machinery is running properly at correct settings and that the container is clean and undamaged.

Atmosphere Management
Temperature is the most important factor for a successful transport of perishables irrespective of transit time. Fresh fruits and vegetables are alive and respire. The rate of respiration is slowed down by proper setting of the temperature. In addition, to further slow down the respiration and add valuable shelf-life and maintaine quality for the end-customer, different types of atmosphere management systems are available. In modified atmosphere (MA), the products themselves essentially create the atmosphere of reduced oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide. The establishment of MA is in some systems assisted by injection of an atmosphere with low oxygen content at the start of the transport chain. Controlled Atmosphere (CA) is more sophisticated than MA and requires a system that actively controls the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the container during the whole voyage.

Fresh Air Control (FAC) is another system that allows the products to create a balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the container where the sum of the two concentrations becomes 20.9%, which is the total amount of oxygen in ambient air. FAC offers active control of the inlet of fresh air to obtain the set concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Loading of Containers
Conditioning of the products before being loaded into the container plays a major role in the successful arrival at destination. Packages and packaging material must suit the conditions during the transport. Products should be loaded pre-cooled at the required carrying temperature into the container. Containers should not be pre-cooled at the time of loading unless they are loaded directly from a refrigerated ware-house through a tight air-lock. Otherwise, water will condense inside the cold container and cause the refrigerating machinery to work at less favorable conditions during the important initial cooling down phase when the doors are closed. Stowing of the cargo inside the container should be tight and leave no open space for air to by-pass the cargo. This is especially important for the floor near the refrigerating machinery, in the center, at the sides and most essentially just inside the doors. Cargo should never be loaded above the red line indicating the maximum allowed height of cargo. Otherwise the flow of air in the container will be restricted, with loss of refrigerating capacity to the cargo as a consequence. Efficient cooling of the cargo is only achieved when the air is forced to pass through the stow of cargo.