Recently, Octat Dragan SRL sold their last remaining apples that have been stored for 8 months in normal atmosphere storage conditions. The company reports that the apples were still fresh and firm, with no change in texture or flavor. The reduction of losses caused by ethylene, bacteria and mold spreading were 25-30% and that helped them to save more than 20% more apples. Mr. Octavian Dragan, the company owner, says, they’ve achieved this result by using Miatech’s Bio Turbo solution (in addition to installed cooling equipment).
According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), each year we throw away about 3.7 trillion apples. That might seem surprising, as apples usually are not considered very perishable fruits. However, in practice, after 8 months of storage in a cold room, up to 30% of apples show signs of mold, rot or softening, leaving them unmarketable. Two years ago Romanian apple grower Octat Dragan SRL faced the same challenges in their storage room in Bistrita, Romania.
The company found that the main source of fruit losses was in the air quality of their cold storage room, as this is an ideal environment for the spread of fungi, bacteria, mold spores and ethylene. These factors are not related to temperature though, as even at 2°C (36°F) fruits continue to release ethylene into the air which spreads throughout the cold room
A lot of growers around the world continue to tolerate such cross-contamination and crop waste mainly because of a few common misconceptions about solutions for scrubbing ethylene and airborne pathogens. The most common are that they are ineffective and expensive.
This might be true for ozone generators, potassium permanganate scrubbers or controlled atmosphere cold rooms, as they require frequent and costly maintenance, as well as trained staff to operate the system with not so impressive results. For example, apple growers who use ULO still report about 5-10% losses after 10 months in storage, depending on the quality of stored products.
But on the other hand, there are innovative and affordable solutions that effectively remove ethylene and airborne pathogens available. The solution that Octat Dragan SRL opted for, Miatech’s Bio Turbo, is a good example. This patented technology is low maintenance, just replace the maintenance kit once per year. It minimizes losses, caused by ethylene, bacteria and fungi, down to 1%, by drastically reducing the cross-contamination inside cold rooms by creating a better storage environment. Accomplishing this without the addition of harmful chemicals, it also fully meets international standards of food safety.
For more information:
Oleg Kuts
Miatech
Tel. 1 (503)-659-5680