Luis Luchsinger: "Chile should distance itself from habitual practices in the world that are assumed to be adequate"
For years, Chile has maintained a privileged place in the export of fruits, which is why it has become a benchmark for other countries in the region. However, in the case of the cold chain, some researchers, such as Luis Luchsinger, advise that Chile "should distance itself from habitual practices in the world that are assumed to be adequate."
Chilean export fruit, like almost all Latin American fruit, must travel long distances to reach destination markets, so the issue of packaging and handling of the cold chain must be of utmost importance.
In the case of berries, which are small and fragile, the internal and external temperature becomes a vital condition for their transfer, which is why their handling is more specialized every day and the offer of this service develops day by day from the hand of science and research.
Dehydration, weight loss, softening and rotting cause millions of dollars in losses each season, so this aspect of the production process should not be neglected, on the contrary, it should be constantly reinforced and updated, using multiple technological advances. and innovations that are offered in the market.
It is calculated that the fruit loses about 3% of its weight approximately in this stage of the trip. Even at the time of harvest, it already loses 0,25% of its weight per hour, so the sooner it enters the packing and especially the pre-cooling process, to reduce its metabolic rate, and then the cold chain , to maintain this temperature, the better the economic returns.
“To start, it seems key to me to break the myth of the 7/8 of the cooling (that is, the initial pulp temperature minus the desired final, multiplied by 7/8) and that the maintenance chambers are capable of lowering that 1 / 8 missing. In the industry, this practice is known as ´stabilizing the temperature in the chamber´ and consists of shipping that fruit after 48 to 72 hours of chilling. From my perspective and experience, this is a serious mistake, causing a lot of problems, but since almost everyone uses it, it is assumed to be the right thing to do, "says Luchsinger, adding:
"Worldwide, in the area of industrial refrigeration, including the packaging industry, conduction cooling is traditionally privileged, which is slow (so the product is dehydrated more and consumes more energy), with low Airflows on cooling and containers with very little ventilated area. However, convection cooling is much faster and more energy efficient, with high air flows and containers with a larger ventilation area. "
The expert assures that companies are slowly opting for this alternative and draws attention to the global trend of using refrigerated containers that allow more efficient logistics for the transport of fruit. He assures that, unlike the refrigerated chambers of ships, “its design is deficient to conserve the temperature of the product during its transport, given that the air supply is heterogeneous throughout the load, raising the temperature of the nearby pallets to the container door. For this reason, it is essential to properly and accurately stow the pallets in the container, an aspect that is generally underestimated by the fruit industry as a whole, including shipping companies and companies that consolidate cargo. "
The expert joins the voices that cry out for greater importance to be taken in managing the cold chain in the post-harvest stage. "Since despite being a key issue to maintain the quality of export fruits, it is highly undervalued, since it is assumed that it is done efficiently and effectively," he claims.
The way of cooling, the design of the equipment and the quality of the containers, are the three main elements according to the experts, although the handling of the precoat is essential to obtain a good final result. The most important thing is to lower the temperature in the shortest possible time.
Clearly, it is not enough to obtain a fruit of good caliber or tasty in the orchard, it is necessary to arrive with these qualities at the final destination of commercialization, and for this, the cold is essential. The solution lies in providing quality information and providing relevant knowledge on the subject, and using new, more modern and efficient technologies that are appropriate for the specific product. On the other hand, train personnel related to the post-harvest stage and equip them with the tools and skills to execute these technologies efficiently.
The researcher comments that the Center for Postharvest Studies at the University of Chile annually conducts a unique course in the world, two days exclusively dedicated to the cooling, storage and transportation of export fruits, training more than 1000 professionals and technicians in the field.
ARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS
