Integrated Reefer News | Page 2 Extending soft fruit market reach Customer Case: Hapag-Lloyd A recent collaboration with long-term MCI partner Hapag-Lloyd has demonstrated thebreakthroughcommercialadvantages offered by Star Cool’s innovative CA+ controlled atmosphere technology in daily usages called “Extrafresh Plus” by Hapag-Lloyd. Four separate commercial trials were run in South Africa and Chile to establish the viability of shipping highly perishable produce over long distances. In this instance, lychees and blueberries were shipped from South Africa to Europe and blueberries from Chile to the US and Europe: destinations that have previously been out of reach in conventional reefer container can transport delicate stone fruits via sea freight with Star Cool CA+. Building on a successful partnership The project was led by Brian Hinrichsen, technical service manager for the HapagLloyd account at MCI and Christian Cook, Manager Technical Sales from Global Reefer Management, Hapag-Lloyd AG, who have worked together for some years and previously collaborated on a successful CA training initiative for Hapag-Lloyd employees. The major technical challenge is to reduce the ripening of highly perishable fruits and to prevent the growth of grey mold rot and other decay-causing organisms during shipping. After initially injecting an individual gas mixture (N2 and CO2) the Star Cool CA+ system is able to maintain and preserve the desired atmosphere for both O2 and CO2 levels. This in turn extends postharvest life and allows the fruit to be transported over much greater distances. Streamlined processes and lower costs A major logistical advantage for the shipping lines is that MCI’s controlled atmosphere technology can be deployed using their existing Star Cool CA or CA ready containers. Most importantly, the shipping lines own all relevant data for every single voyage. Third- party controlled atmosphere modules do not share data with the reefer machine’s data log. In contrast, Star Cool CA+ automatically logs temperature and humidity, as well as providing precise data on CO2 and O2 levels throughout the entire voyage. All this information is available in a single file to the shipping lines and enables them to accurately monitor the parameters and make real-time adjustments as necessary. The Star Cool CA+ system offers the ability to create the ideal atmosphere upon cargo loading, and then employs sensors to monitor and control the internal environment for optimal cargo care. O2 can be kept from dangerously low levels using the automatic air exchange, while CO2 can be controlled from elevated levels resulting from respiration by use of the membrane system. Star Cool CA+ offers precise atmosphere control for cargo, regardless of the respiration rate of the cargo A fruitful cooperation MCI and Hapag-Lloyd’s long-term partnership was instrumental in developing the innovative CA+ gas flushing technology. Building on that partnership, the technical cooperation and initial trial shipments have now matured into a full-blown commercial model. Thanks to CA+, shipping lines and soft fruit exporters alike are ready to exploit the opportunities of new global markets for highly perishable but very desirable products. MCI appointed to the Chilean Blueberry Committee It is with great pleasure that we can announce MCI’s appointment to the Chilean Blueberry Committee’s prestigious roster of supplier companies. This recognition is only granted to selected partners who have proved their importance in supporting the work carried out by the Committee. As well as providing products and services that are vital for the production, export and marketing of blueberries, these companies also contribute to developing the committee’s action plan. In her role as a fruit crop specialist, Maria Paz Soto, Sales Support Manager and Agronomic Engineer at MCIS in San Antonio Chile, will be our representative on the Committee. You can find MCI listed along with the other supplier companies on the Chilean Blueberry Committee’s website: www.comitedearandanos.cl
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