INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
NEWS than their function . “ However , with future expansion expectations of produce exports from South Africa and various trade agreements underway , producers who do not meet quality expectations will just be left behind as I continually indicate to many of the sectors of the food supply chain ,” notes Lievens .
IDENTIFYING THE CORRECT CARTON DESIGN Mark McCleery , who worked with Jan Lievens on what is known as the ‘ super vent ’ carton design , shares some of the factors of consideration of carton design and airflow . “ Jan and I worked on this design in the 90 ’ s , where we identified what the basic problems were , and subsequently implementing the design , results were pretty impressive . These included cooling times being essentially halved , fruit quality and shelf life being improved , the cooling costs for farmers were reduced ( as they needed less time to cool produce ), and capacity of the cold rooms increased as they could cycle fruit through a facility much quicker ”.
McCleery further notes the following challenges that led to the design , and thus savings and improved quality :
• For ventilation and cooling of the fruit :
◦ The airflow in most tunnels is horizontal , and the air needs to be able to find a path through the box , the wrappings around the grapes , and be able to have a clear pathway towards the centre of the tunnel , so the fans can pull the air through .
◦ At the same time , as the air is so cold , you need to be mindful not to have too much airflow , as it can damage the grapes / fruit with rapid cooling .
• For the boxes themselves :
◦ The more you cut holes in the side of a box , the weaker it is . Imagine it is like building pillars ; the fewer pillars in place on a bridge , the weaker the structure will be .
• The process led to identifying the correct balance between :
◦ Correctly positioned holes , that LINE UP in a horizontal direction from box to box ( remembering that each pallet configuration for a 400 x 300mm or 600x 400mm or 500x 300mm box size is different ). We worked out a formula that allowed us to calculate the positioning of the holes , so they lined up in whatever configuration was selected .
◦ The holes needed to be large enough to allow sufficient airflow , without weakening the box structure too much . We overcame that challenge by making holes that were taller than wider – reducing loss of strength .
A standardised design concept would naturally be first prize in this matter but carton manufacturers coming up with new designs that are more economical in the production process , structurally adequate and follow engagement with cooling specialist is of course welcomed , as is an understanding the processes
Requests for information around designs were sent out to several box carton manufacturers , the response ( s ) as follows :
MPACT Before de-regulation of the South African fruit industry in 1997 , corrugated packaging suppliers to the fruit export market adhered to the prescribed specifications of Unifruco , including airflow requirements .
Since that time , Mpact has maintained the practice regarding ventilation / airflow in the cooling of fresh produce , and is continually engaging with industry , such as packhouses , exporters , cold storage facilities , etc to this end . of ensuring quality produce and all the elements that plug into that . You can ’ t sell any other goods that are classed as unsafe , nor goods that contribute to safety deterioration and perishable foods are an essential good to keep safe . Let ’ s keep our produce safe while maintaining good quality .
The topic of packaging design and airflow is by no means a new one .
In order to remain competitive in the market , packaging suppliers have over the years , embarked on innovative concepts , resulting in a variety of choice for the producer .
Carton design , including ventilation / airflow , needs to be considered , as these elements affect the structural integrity of the carton . The limitations in this context are directly related to the minimum required performance of the carton in question .
Note : At the time of publishing , no further responses were received from other box carton manufacturers . Should these be received , they will be published in an upcoming issue of Cold Link Africa . CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2021 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za 13