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INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
On the second issue , it is again amazingly simple – ninety-nine percent never ever measured that .
The third and fourth issues are also simple too - many do not do this .
On the fifth issue , it is even simpler . If the core temperature of your “ hottest ” box is above the required core temperature , it is a potential recipe for disaster . This is not a myth but the simple reality : A marine container is not designed to cool the product down ; it is designed to keep the product cool .
I recently received TempTale graphs on various “ real ” table grape shipments where the return air was , for over 14 days ( sic ), well over four degrees C , starting from close to ten degrees C … Trust me , not from one container but from a whole battery of containers .
Apart from me nearly having a heart attack and tears in my eyes , it is simply deadly . And guess what ? The cold room released the shipment for export after authorities “ measured ” zero point 8 degrees on the one side of the pallet .
And should I mention the carton and inner packaging debacle ? Really ?
Over forty years of debate and tug of wars between various interest groups , and you still have a disaster deluxe on your hands ? Every season ? Serious ? Surely , we are smarter than that ? Or maybe not ?
And why not simply work together with people to get to a proper airflow system for all cartons in the country , regardless of the structural box design ? Recently I was introduced to a “ new ” design , which is going to be evaluated soon . Again , with obvious flaws that can be addressed and rectified if people would just learn how to work together and learn how to use available knowledge .
Let us be honest , you can hide this all you want under the biggest stones even Hercules cannot move , your competitors from all the other grapeproducing countries are laughing themselves to a standstill .
We have some of the best possible grown-quality on the planet , but you must preserve that quality after harvest to get it to market and to create the best possible chance to sell it . All that is described above kills your shelf-life = quality , and that is exactly where they thrive on .
I just wonder , for how long the industry is going to keep putting its head in the sand . There clearly is a problem , in fact a whole bunch of problems and no matter how many studies you try to do and how much money you throw at further theoretical exercises , if it is not getting implemented , to be frank , I regard it as complete and utter time wasting .
In 2012 I already stated at an International Research Congress in Cape Town that there is a huge gap between our fantastic scientists and researchers when it comes down to implementing knowledge in the field on a practical level at the farms .
It ’ s time the industry changes its attitude and approach to the last five percent of the process . Let us first tackle the problem at the farm level and then at central cooling units . I am prepared to share our knowledge accumulated in a practical way over the years .
Stop wasting time and money , become organised and start doing the right thing , it is in your own interest .
As a last thought of the day after your read this article , note this : when your product is damaged in the postharvest cycle , that damage is irreversible and cumulative , and it will show up during the transit period . Fact .
Facts are indeed stubborn , but not doing anything about it is plain and simply irresponsible . CLA
Creative Commons
Produce quality is not an accident , it is a result of how the product gets handled from the harvest onwards .
Over forty years of debate and tug of wars between various interest groups , and you still have a disaster deluxe on your hands .
26 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2022