INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
PROJECT
The site also includes their own solar system and generators in the event that the power may be disrupted .
In this phase of adopting the latest technology , Agrostar installed two rooms with :
• 12 of RH nozzles each
• 2 of RH controllers
• Filters
• RO unit
• Dedicated water pumps with filters
• Water tanks
• Dedicated air compressor
All fruit is fully traceable to the orchard / vineyard where it was picked . After harvesting the fruit is at the pre-cooler within 20 – 30 minutes . A QR code system is used for each and every box .
safety for visiting clients is also taken extremely seriously at Agrostar .
The well-known saying of “ doing it right even when nobody is looking ” is really an attitude adopted daily by everybody working at this facility .
COOLING AND EQUIPMENT The ‘ cooling department ’ of the farm has five fast-cooling tunnels together with six holding rooms , and a loading area with two professional dock seal / loading dock facilities . All of these sections are monitored and measured to perfection as nothing is
left to chance in this facility . They believe strongly in the principle of : when you measure it , you can manage it .
The temperatures are kept to the industry needed specifications . All the fruit is pre-cooled to 17 ° C and then packed at 17 ° C . Once palletised the fruit goes into fast cooling tunnels that are working with a ΔT of max . 1.0 ° C on the coils . Once at protocol core temperature in all the boxes on each and every pallet , these get transferred to the holding rooms that are also monitored and regulated to avoid condensation at all times .
The RH system being tested after installation . Before making use of the rooms , all floors were cleaned according to required protocol . Once in commercial operation all floors are dry .
Humiditas calculated the capacities needed on the incoming temperatures of the fruit from the land , combined with the pure cubic meter size of the cooler . Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air . The hotter the fruit the more RH must be available to put in . This farm really takes care of getting fruit in at the " right " temperature , and they do not harvest higher than 25 ° C . Hence their harvesting strategy and allocated timing due to the heat that develops in Egypt during the day .
The amount of nozzles calculated as a requirement determines the rest of the installation : compressed air volume and water volumes needed . In South Africa we have found sometimes people harvesting with core fruit temperatures at 35 ° C plus . That is detrimental to the quality of the fruit once off the vine .
Only the best will do and so even the channels where the various pipes were to be installed for the latest additions were made of stainless steel . Talking about attention to the details !
Another commendable observation of this site , when one walks through the facility , is that is is remarkable how well the plant is maintained and presented at all times .
BUSINESS OPERATIONS Every day , after the practical packaging sessions are completed , the whole management team comes together to discuss the day that passed as well as the day forward .
From a commercial angle it is Ahmed Harraz who conducts proceedings with a capable hand in steering his team . Ahmed is multi-lingual , well-spoken , and very well connected . He takes care of all the negotiations worldwide and ensures that the top-quality product that this farm produces and handles gets to the right client each time .
QUALITY PRODUCTS Preserving quality after harvest involves every element of the process right down to the smallest details , and that shows . This is truly a remarkable farm and when Oscar Salgado made his bold statement , he is right , this farm proves it like with eating of the pudding .
The quality that is packed is simply out of this world and Agrostar makes inroads in the professional world of showing how to grow and manage table grapes . Many growers could take their example of ‘ how it should be done ’.
Quality is indeed not an act , it is a habit as this farm demonstrates day in and day out . This farm is definitely worthy of their ranking by Oscar Salgado . These quality sentiments are shared all over the world with their clients and we are extremely proud to be the preferred applied postharvest technologies partner to the farm and the Harraz family . CLA
Eman Abdelrhman , agricultural quality engineer at Agrostar .
Ahmed Harraz , making arrangements and organising clients ’ requests at the farm .
Every door has got proper door protection and is serviced before the season to have all rubbers in 100 % working order . The whole facility is maintained to an exceptional level of detail . All steelwork is absolutely extraordinarilary maintained and painted to a level [ hardly ] ever seen .
The temperatures are kept to the industry needed specifications .
COLD LINK AFRICA • July / August 2022 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za 19