JP6358694B2 - Crop freshness keeping method and freshness keeping device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a crop freshness maintaining method and a freshness maintaining apparatus.

  In the production, distribution, and storage of agricultural products, maintaining the freshness after harvesting is extremely important because it greatly affects the commercial value. The freshness of agricultural products can be evaluated by, for example, weight loss (transpiration). In many crops, a 5% weight loss with respect to the weight at the time of harvest significantly impairs the quality of the product. As a technique for maintaining the freshness of agricultural products, refrigeration has been widely used for a long time in order to suppress respiration and transpiration of agricultural products. However, there are cases where refrigeration is costly, and there are cases where refrigeration cannot be sufficiently performed during transportation, or cases where freshness cannot be sufficiently maintained even by refrigeration. Has been put to practical use. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a gas environment control method using a film or the like. Non-Patent Document 2 discloses an ethylene production inhibitor such as aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) or silver thiosulfate in order to suppress the action of ethylene, which is a plant hormone involved in the freshness, aging, and maturation of crops. Ethylene action inhibitors such as complex salts or 1-methylcyclopropane (MCP) have been shown to be effective in maintaining freshness and storage of crops. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for maintaining the freshness of sudachi, which irradiates far-infrared rays to sudachi during pre-harvest preparatory measures. This is a technique for suppressing the occurrence of skin damage such as a loss of color or yellowishness by heating the skin surface of Sudachi with far-infrared rays. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a refrigerator that includes a storage container that stores leaf vegetables and that has a low light irradiation device disposed above the storage container. This is a technique that suppresses the degradation of chlorophyll by weak light irradiation, maintains the green color of green leafy vegetables, and suppresses the decrease in vitamin C.

JP-A-6-90659 JP 2002-267348 A

Iwamoto Ikuo et al., “Fruit and Flower Freshness Management Handbook”, Science Forum (Tokyo), 1991, p181 to p193 Koshiba Kyoichi et al., "New Plant Hormone Science", Kodansha Scientific (Tokyo), 2002, p99-p100

  However, since the technique described in Non-Patent Document 1 requires packaging with a film or the like, it takes labor and cost to implement. In addition, the technique described in Non-Patent Document 2 is severely restricted in use for food crops from the viewpoint of drug safety. On the other hand, the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not involve packaging with a film and the use of chemicals, but involves heating by far-infrared irradiation, and thus lowers the cooling efficiency of low-temperature storage in, for example, a refrigerator. Further, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is applied only to fruits, has no effect on vegetables, and has a narrow range of applicable crops. The technique described in Patent Document 2, for example, when the target crop is stacked in two stages and placed in a storage container, only the upper crop is lit and the lower crop is not lit. It is not possible to obtain a freshness-keeping effect on the entire crop. Furthermore, the technique described in Patent Literature 2 is limited to only green leafy vegetables, and the range of applicable crops is narrow as in the technique described in Patent Literature 1. These problems have been investigated and found by the present inventors.

  In response to these problems, the present inventor, in a patent application that has been filed separately, by irradiating the crops with near-infrared light, simple and low-cost, without using chemicals, without heating, It discloses a technique that can be applied to a wide range of crops and can achieve a uniform freshness maintaining effect over the entire target crop. However, for the technology disclosed by the present inventor in another application, there is a demand for further improving the freshness maintaining effect at low cost (low power consumption).

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a crop freshness maintaining technique that can obtain a higher freshness maintaining effect and is reduced in cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, the method for maintaining freshness of a crop according to the present invention includes a near-infrared light irradiating step of irradiating a crop with near-infrared light, and the near-infrared light irradiating steps are two or more different from each other. It implements using the near-infrared light irradiation light source which has the peak wavelength of.

  The crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention includes a near-infrared light irradiating unit that irradiates the crop with near-infrared light, and the near-infrared light irradiating unit has two or more different peak wavelengths. It is a near infrared light irradiation light source.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a high crop freshness maintaining effect at low cost (low power consumption).

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a crop freshness maintaining apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the transportation means of the present invention. FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views showing another example of the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another example of the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention. Fig.5 (a) and (b) are schematic diagrams which show the example of the refrigerator which is an example of the storage of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of the display device of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the wavelength distribution of near-infrared light having a peak wavelength of two or more wavelengths in Example 1. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the transpiration suppression rate in Example 1.

  As described above, the present inventor found for the first time that the near-infrared light (for example, 700 nm to 2500 nm) has an effect of maintaining the freshness of agricultural products (see another application earlier). Until now, it has been speculated that phytochrome, a red light / far-red light sensor, is known to be involved in the germination of seeds of plants as a mechanism for maintaining the freshness of crops using light. It was. However, near-infrared light is out of the absorption region of phytochrome. Therefore, it is presumed that the freshness maintaining method of the present invention by irradiation with near infrared light is based on a new mechanism different from the mechanism of phytochrome. However, this assumption does not limit or limit the invention.

  And when this inventor examined the technique which irradiates near-infrared light with respect to the wavelength range whole region (for example, 700 nm-2500 nm) of near-infrared light, in order to improve the freshness maintenance effect of agricultural products further, The idea of irradiating using a near-infrared light source having two or more different peak wavelengths was obtained. And when near infrared light was irradiated to the crops using near infrared light irradiation light sources having two or more different peak wavelengths, unexpectedly, compared with the case of irradiation with a light source of a single peak wavelength Ascertaining that the same or higher freshness maintaining effect can be obtained even when the light intensity is low, the present invention has been achieved.

  In the present invention, “agricultural crops” refers to all crops that can be harvested by agricultural techniques. Details of the crop will be described later.

  In the present invention, “keeping freshness” means holding the state of the crop just before harvesting as much as possible. The required freshness-keeping effect depends on the type of crop and the commercial value. The relationship between the type of crop and the freshness retention effect will be described later.

  In the crop freshness maintaining method of the present invention, the wavelength of the near-infrared light is preferably in the range of 700 nm to 2500 nm.

  In the crop freshness maintaining method of the present invention, it is preferable that in the near infrared light irradiation step, visible light irradiation is performed in addition to the near infrared light irradiation. In other words, since near-infrared light is invisible, it is difficult to confirm whether it is actually irradiated. However, in addition to near-infrared light, if visible light is also emitted simultaneously, It becomes possible to easily determine the presence or absence of near-infrared light irradiation using irradiation as an index.

In the method for maintaining freshness of agricultural products according to the present invention, the irradiation light intensity of the near-infrared light is preferably in the range of 1.4 × 10 ⁻² W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ²⁴ W / m ^2. .

  In the crop freshness maintaining method of the present invention, the irradiation time of the near infrared light is preferably in the range of 1 femtosecond to 72 hours.

  In the method for maintaining freshness of agricultural products according to the present invention, the agricultural products are preferably vegetables, fruits or flowers.

  The crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention further includes a light intensity control unit and an irradiation time control unit, wherein the light intensity control unit controls the irradiation light intensity of the light source, and the irradiation time control unit controls the irradiation of the light source. It is preferred that the time be controlled.

  The crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention preferably further includes a visible light irradiation means for irradiating the crop with visible light.

  The storage of the present invention is a storage for storing crops, and includes the crop freshness maintaining device of the present invention.

  The transport means of the present invention is a transport means for transporting agricultural products, and includes the storage of the present invention.

  In the storage and transportation means of the present invention, the storage is preferably a transport container.

  The storage of the present invention is preferably a refrigerator.

  The display device of the present invention is a display device for displaying crops, and includes the crop freshness maintaining device of the present invention.

  The production method of the present invention is a method for producing a fresh crop, and includes a freshness-keeping treatment step for performing a freshness-keeping treatment on the harvested crop, and the freshness-keeping treatment step is a freshness-keeping method for a crop according to the present invention. Is performed.

  Next, the present invention will be described in detail with examples. However, the present invention is not limited or restricted by the following description.

  The crops to which the present invention is applied are not particularly limited. For example, as described above, vegetables, fruits, and florets in the usual classification according to the use site (referred to as horticultural classification or artificial classification) are used. Are preferred.

  Examples of the vegetables include fruits and vegetables (eggplant, pepino, tomato, cherry tomato, tamariro, takatsume, chili pepper, shishi pepper, habanero, peppers, paprika, colored peppers, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, tsunonigauri, shirouri, bitter gourd, In addition to Togan, Hayatouri, Loofah, Yugao, Okra, Strawberry, Watermelon, Melon, Macwauli, etc., grains such as corn, azuki bean, kidney bean, pea, shrimp, cowpea, winged bean, broad bean, soybean, jujube, peanut, lentil, Sesame and other legumes), leaf stems (ice plant, ashitaba, mustard, cabbage, watercress, kale, komatsuna, sardana, sunny lettuce, saishin, sanchu, shandong vegetables, perilla, sangiku, junsai, sirona, seri Celery, Taasai, Daikonna (Suzushiro), Takana, Chisha, Chingensai, Tsukena, Rape, Nozawana, Chinese cabbage, parsley, Haruna, Chard, Spinach, Hotokenoza, Mizuna, Midori Hakobe, Kochakobe, Ushihakobe, Mitsuna, Mitsuba, Meikabemo Leafy vegetables such as leaf lettuce, arugula, lettuce, wasabi, green onions, fine green onions, chives, chives, asparagus, udo, kohlrabi, zasai, bamboo shoots, garlic, Chinese rhinoceros, green onions, scallops, onions, etc. , Cauliflower, edible chrysanthemum, nabana, fukinoto, myoga and other flowering vegetables, sprout, sprout, sprouts, radish and other vegetative vegetables, root vegetables (jib, Japanese radish, Japanese radish, wasabi, horseradish, burdock, cho In addition to potatoes, ginger, carrots, carrots, sea bream, lotus roots, lily roots, sweet potatoes, taros, potatoes, potatoes (Yamato potatoes), yam potatoes (including yams, natural potatoes), fungi (enokitake, eringi) , Jellyfish, kinagasatake, shiitake, shimeji, white jellyfish, tamogitake, chichitake, nameko, narake, hatake shimeji, oyster mushrooms, bunshimeji, bunapee, porcini, honjimeji, maitake, mushroom, matsutake, matsutake . However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

  Examples of the fruits include various citrus fruits such as mandarin oranges, apples, peaches, pears, pears, bananas, grapes, cherries, gummy, raspberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberry, loquat, figs, oysters, oysters , Mango, avocado, jujube, pomegranate, passion fruit, pineapple, banana, papaya, apricot, plum, plum, peach, kiwifruit, karin, bayberry, chestnut, miracle fruit, guava, star fruit, acerola. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

  Examples of the florets include, for example, holyhock, bouvardia, godetia, primrose, stock, habutton, lunaria, acidansera, iris, gladiolus, red-bellied, peperomia, calceolaria, snapdragon, torenia, primrose, cyclamen, pine bark, anthurium, Caradium, Shobu, Cingonium, Spasifilm, Dieffenbachia, Philodendron, Cactus, Ajuga, Kaktranoo, Salvia, Begonia, Curcuma, Water Lily, Pautraca, Violet, White Trace Flower, Setocreacea, Murasaki Omoto, Murasakitsukitsuno, Hosenka Tsunos , Petunia, physalis, carnations, radish, redwood, gypsophila, perennial gypsophila, citrus radish, guzumania Strelitzia, Shibazakura, Phlox, Euphorbia, Kyokanoko, Amakurinam, Amaryllis, Chrysanthemum, Margaret, Kunlan, Kirtansus, Daffodil, Snowflake, Tamasdale, Nerine, Hamaomoto, Eucharis, Licorice, Agave, Borgo, Saturnia Kalanchoe, Scabiosa, Sweet pea, Lupine, Lurisio, Forget-me-not, Astilbe, Yukinoshita, Agapanthus, Amadokororo, Aloe, Ornithogalum, Omoto, Oryzullan, Giboshi, Black lily, Gloriosa, Corticum, Sansevieria, Thundersonia, Snail Dracaena, Triteria, Narco Yuri, New Sairan, Baimo, Asynth, Hottogis, Yabukanzo, Yaburan, Lily, Alstroemeria, Ruscus, Cyprinus, Ebine, Oncidium, Cattleya, Cormanara, Silane, Cymbidium, Selodyne, Dendribium, Doritenopsis, Nagoran, Paphiopedilum, Vanda, Villestekella, Tona, Pleumoptera, Tona Eustoma grandiflorum, gentian, lantana, rose, cherry, gerbera, etc. are listed, as well as oysters, cycad, fern, dracaena, halans, monstera, potos, compactors, polycious, jungle bush, licorice, beargrass used to appreciate the leaves , Pitosporum. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

  In relation to agricultural products and freshness retention effects, for example, vegetables (leafy vegetables) that mainly use leaves or stems such as lettuce and spinach prevent wilting (suppression of transpiration), discoloration (yellowing, browning, etc.) Prevention, softening prevention, and prevention of mold generation are important. Further, in vegetables (fruit vegetables) mainly using fruits such as strawberries and tomatoes, or fruit trees such as apples, prevention of discoloration (yellowing, browning, etc.), prevention of softening, and prevention of mold generation are important. Furthermore, in flowering plants, it is important to prevent wilting (suppression of transpiration), to prevent discoloration (yellowing, browning, etc.) and to prevent mold generation. However, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these.

In the present invention, the near infrared light irradiation is performed using a near infrared light irradiation light source having two or more different peak wavelengths. The near-infrared light irradiation light source can be configured by combining two or more monochromatic light near-infrared light LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamps, for example. The monochromatic near-infrared LED lamp has a single peak wavelength and a wavelength distribution centered on the peak wavelength. The combination of the monochromatic near-infrared LED lamps is preferably a combination that can cover a region of 700 nm to 2500 nm that is a wavelength range of near infrared light, for example, and a combination that can cover a region of 700 to 1000 nm. More preferred. As such a combination, for example, two or more monochromatic near-infrared LED lamps having peak wavelengths of 780 nm to 840 nm, 820 nm to 880 nm, and 910 nm to 970 nm may be combined. In addition, since the peak wavelength of a monochromatic LED lamp changes with temperature etc., the above-mentioned peak wavelength is an illustration and does not limit or restrict | limit this invention at all. Moreover, the ratio (mixing ratio) of the irradiation light intensity of each lamp may be the same or different. As a specific example, when the number of the lamps is two, the ratio (mixing ratio, L: H) of the irradiation light intensity of the low wavelength side lamp (L) and the high wavelength side lamp (H) in the two lamps is Without limitation, for example, it is in the range of 1: 0.005 to 1: 200, preferably in the range of 1: 0.05 to 1:20, more preferably in the range of 1: 0.25 to 1: 4. It is a range. When the number of the lamps is three, the ratio of the irradiation light intensity (mixing ratio, L: of the low wavelength side lamp (L), the medium wavelength side lamp (M), and the high wavelength side lamp (H) of the three lamps. M: H) is not particularly limited, and is, for example, in the range of 1: 0.005: 0.005 to 1: 200: 200, preferably 1: 0.05: 0.05 to 1:20:20. More preferably, it is in the range of 1: 0.25: 0.25 to 1: 4: 4. In the present invention, one near infrared LED lamp having two or more different peak wavelengths may be used. As described above, the irradiation light intensity of near infrared light in the present invention is, for example, in the range of 1.4 × 10 ⁻² W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ²⁴ W / m ² , preferably 1 .4 × 10 ⁻² W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ⁴ W / m ² , more preferably 0.1 W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ³ W / m ² . , particularly preferably in the range of ^{0.2W / m 2 ~1.4 × 10 2} W / m 2. In the present invention, it is preferable to use an LED as the light source, but the present invention is not limited to the LED. For example, a fluorescent tube, a metal halide lamp, a sodium lamp, a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, a neon tube, an inorganic electro Luminescence, organic electroluminescence, chemiluminescence (chemiluminescence), laser, etc. can also be used. Moreover, when using a light source including light other than near infrared light, such as a fluorescent lamp and sunlight, a spectral filter that transmits only the wavelength of near infrared light may be transmitted. Different light emitting means may be combined.

  In the present invention, as described above, the near infrared light is preferably used together with visible light. The wavelength of the visible light is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a range of 400 nm to 700 nm. The visible light may have a single wavelength such as a laser, or may have a wavelength distribution such as sunlight, a fluorescent lamp, an incandescent lamp, or a white LED lamp.

  As described above, in the present invention, the irradiation time of the near infrared light is preferably in the range of 1 femtosecond to 72 hours. The irradiation time of the near infrared light is more preferably in the range of 1 nanosecond to 72 hours, further preferably in the range of 1 microsecond to 60 minutes, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.1 second to 60 minutes. Most preferably, it is in the range of 0.1 second to 10 minutes. The present invention may be a method of instantaneously irradiating a very large amount of light, such as a strobe. Further, the present invention may be a method of irradiating with a low light amount for a long time. For example, when used in a supermarket storefront or the like, for example, the light may be continuously irradiated with a low light amount during the supermarket business hours.

In the present invention, for example, in the case of irradiation with low light, such as in the range of ^{1.4 × 10 -2 W / m 2} ~1.4 × 10 2 W / m 2 , the irradiation time, for example, 1 minute It is preferably in the range of ˜72 hours, more preferably in the range of 5 minutes to 24 hours. In the present invention, for example, when irradiating with a large amount of light such as a range of 1.4 × 10 ² W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ²⁴ W / m ² , for example, a light amount such as a flash. The irradiation time is preferably in the range of 1 femtosecond to 10 seconds, more preferably in the range of 1 nanosecond to 10 seconds, and still more preferably in the range of 1 microsecond to 1 second.

  In the crop freshness maintaining method of the present invention, the irradiation with the near infrared light may be continuous irradiation or intermittent irradiation. Continuous irradiation is, for example, continuous irradiation of near infrared light for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes). The intermittent irradiation is, for example, repeating irradiation for 10 seconds and non-irradiation for 10 seconds 30 times so that the irradiation time is 5 minutes in total.

  In the method for maintaining the freshness of crops of the present invention, the irradiation with the near infrared light may be performed in an ambient light environment that is dark, under artificial illumination such as an LED, or under sunlight. Moreover, the light environment after irradiation may be dark, may be under artificial illumination such as an LED, or may be under sunlight.

  In the method for maintaining the freshness of agricultural products according to the present invention, the irradiation of the near infrared light may be performed not only in a pretreatment for the agricultural products but also continuously in, for example, a retail store. In this case, irradiation may be performed in combination with a light source such as a white LED or a white fluorescent lamp having another wavelength.

  As a specific implementation method of the present invention, for example, a method of irradiating near-infrared light before or after harvesting at a crop production site, a method of irradiating near-infrared light before boxing or bagging of crops, or A method of irradiating near-infrared light after boxing and before closing the lid can be mentioned. In addition, near-infrared light passes through common materials used in crop storage containers (for example, polyethylene), so it can be irradiated from above even after crops have been boxed or packed. It is possible to uniformly irradiate the entire crop in boxes and bags. Moreover, since near-infrared light also permeate | transmits agricultural products themselves, even if agricultural products are piled up and stored, it can irradiate the whole stored agricultural products uniformly. Therefore, it is possible to irradiate near-infrared light after boxing and bagging and before shipping. Moreover, you may irradiate near infrared light during cultivation of agricultural products. Furthermore, the freshness in the display shelf can be maintained for a longer period by using the present invention at the store. Further, for example, in a retail store, near infrared light may be continuously irradiated to the crops arranged on the display shelf during the business hours of the store. For example, in a store or a home, near infrared light may be radiated continuously during storage on a crop stored in a storage such as a refrigerator.

  Next, an example of the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention will be described.

As described above, the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention includes a near infrared light irradiation light source having two or more different peak wavelengths as the near infrared light irradiation means. The near-infrared light and the near-infrared light irradiation light source are as described above. Moreover, the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention may further include a visible light irradiation light source. In the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention, the near-infrared light irradiation light source may also serve as the visible light irradiation light source. Examples of light sources that emit near-infrared light together with visible light include a light source that combines a white light irradiation light source and a near-infrared light irradiation light source, and white light and near-infrared light with a single light source. And a light source capable of irradiating both. Specifically, for example, a light source configured by combining a white LED and a near-infrared LED, an LED light source in which the near-infrared component of a conventional white LED is significantly increased, and the like can be given. By using such a light source, the irradiation area of near infrared light can be visualized, and for example, it can be used as illumination having a display function and a freshness maintaining function for crops displayed in a supermarket or the like. This is preferable. Here, “significantly increased” means that the near-infrared component is increased to such an extent that a freshness maintaining effect by irradiation with near-infrared light can be obtained. In the present invention, the rate of increase of the near-infrared component is not particularly limited. For example, in any case of LED, natural light, and fluorescent lamp, the near-infrared component with respect to the total intensity of visible light components of 400 nm to 700 nm. Is preferably increased by 5% to 1000%, more preferably 5% to 500%, and even more preferably 5% to 250%. Here, “the near-infrared component is increased by 5% with respect to the total intensity of the visible light component” means, for example, when the total intensity of the visible light component is 100 W / m ² , It means adding 5 W / m ² . However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ratio of the near-infrared component in the light to be irradiated can be appropriately determined according to the scene such as irradiation at the time of packing, irradiation that also serves as a display at a store. .

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the freshness maintaining device 10 includes a light source 11 and a controller 12. The light source 11 irradiates near-infrared light from above the agricultural product 13 (strawberry in FIG. 1). The light source 11 is a near infrared light irradiation light source having two or more different peak wavelengths. The light source 11 may be a light source that emits near-infrared light together with the visible light. For example, a light source configured by combining a white LED and a near-infrared LED, or a conventional white LED An LED light source or the like in which the near infrared component is significantly increased can be used. The controller 12 controls the irradiation light intensity and irradiation time of the light source 11. The controller 12 is an arbitrary component and may be omitted, but is preferably present. In FIG. 1, the controller 12 that performs both irradiation light intensity control and irradiation time control is shown, but the controller 12 may be composed of separate members that perform each. In FIG. 1, the controller 12 is a separate member from the light source 11, but may be incorporated in the light source 11. The controller 12 is not particularly limited. For example, a conventionally known controller may be used.

  In this example, it may further have an installation base for installing agricultural products. The installation table may be a belt conveyor. When the installation base is a belt conveyor, the crop 13 is irradiated with near-infrared light while being transferred in the transport direction on the belt conveyor.

  FIG. 3 shows another example of the crop freshness maintaining apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the same parts as those in FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the appearance of the crop freshness holding device 101 of this example, and FIG. 3B shows the crop freshness holding device 101 of this example as shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed typically the cross section seen in the I direction. As shown in the figure, the freshness holding device 101 for the crop of this example has a belt conveyor 16 passing through the inside of the irradiation device main body 15, and the freshness holding device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged inside the irradiation device main body 15. ing. In the case of this example, the crop 13 is irradiated with near infrared light while passing through the inside of the irradiation apparatus body 15 on the belt conveyor 16.

  As described above, the crop freshness maintaining device of the present invention has been described by way of example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a portable handheld type can also be used. In FIG. 4, an example of the freshness maintenance apparatus of the handy type crop of the present invention is shown. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the crop freshness holding apparatus 201 of this example. In FIG. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. In the case of this example, the holding part 17 is held in the hand and the crop 13 is irradiated with near infrared light. In this example, the controller 12 is not shown, but may be incorporated in the light source 11, or the controller 12 may be a separate member from the light source 11. The crop freshness holding device 201 of the present example is a size that can be held by hand and can be carried, and is convenient, for example, when irradiating as necessary.

  Next, the storage and transportation means of the present invention will be described.

  As described above, the storage of the present invention is a storage for storing crops, and includes the crop freshness maintaining device of the present invention. Although the said storage is not restrict | limited in particular, For example, a transport container, a refrigerator, a cool box, etc. are preferable. The storage is not limited to a storage or pre-cooling storage for storing crops exclusively, and can be suitably used for a refrigerator or storage used in a home or kitchen.

  Moreover, the transport means of the present invention is a transport means for transporting agricultural products, and includes the storage of the present invention. Examples of the transportation means of the present invention include vehicles, airplanes, ships and the like. Examples of the vehicle include a train and a car.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the transportation means of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the same parts as those in FIG. The transportation means in this example is a truck 20. As illustrated, the truck 20 includes a transport container 21, and the transport container 21 includes the freshness maintaining device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1.

  FIG. 5 (a) shows an example of a refrigerator, which is an example of the storage of the present invention. In FIG. 5 (a), the same parts as those in FIG. As illustrated, the refrigerator 30 of the present example includes a vegetable room 31, and the vegetable room 31 includes the freshness holding device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. In this example, the light source 11 is disposed on the upper rear surface of the vegetable compartment 31. In this example, the controller 12 is not shown, but may be incorporated in the light source 11, or the controller 12 may be a separate member from the light source 11. Moreover, in this example, although the partition is not provided in the vegetable compartment 31, this invention is not limited to this. For example, in the present invention, the vegetable compartment 31 is divided into a plurality of areas by a partition plate, and is divided into a division in which the light source 11 is arranged and a division in which the light source 11 is not arranged, or a light source 11 for each division. It is also possible to adjust the intensity of irradiation light and the irradiation time. Moreover, in this example, the light source 11 may be a light source that irradiates near infrared light together with visible light as described in FIG. 1. For example, the light source 11 is configured by combining a white LED and a near infrared LED. It may be a light source or an LED light source in which the near-infrared component of a conventional white LED is significantly increased.

  FIG. 5B shows another example of the refrigerator, which is an example of the storage of the present invention. FIG.5 (b) is sectional drawing which looked at the refrigerator 40 of this example from the horizontal direction. In the refrigerator 40 of this example, as shown in FIG.5 (b), the freshness holding apparatus 10 of this invention is arrange | positioned on the upper surface of the front side of the vegetable compartment 41. As shown in FIG. Others are the same as those of the refrigerator 30. Thus, in the present invention, the position of the freshness maintaining device can be adjusted according to the design of the refrigerator.

  Next, the display device of the present invention will be described.

  As described above, the display device of the present invention is a display device for displaying crops, and includes the crop freshness maintaining device of the present invention. The display device is not particularly limited as long as it can display crops. Examples thereof include a showcase and a display shelf.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the display device of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. The display device of this example is a showcase 50. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the showcase 50 as viewed from the lateral direction. As shown in the figure, the showcase 50 of this example is provided with a storage chamber 54 for storing agricultural products in an insulating box 53 in which a transparent member 52 such as a windshield is fitted in an opening 51. The freshness holding device 10 of the present invention is disposed on the upper part. In this example, the controller 12 is not shown, but may be incorporated in the light source 11, or the controller 12 may be a separate member from the light source 11. In this example, the light source 11 is disposed in the upper part of the storage chamber 54, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the light source 11 only needs to be disposed at a position that can irradiate the storage chamber. Further, in this example, the light source 11 may irradiate near infrared light together with visible light, as described in FIG. 1. For example, the light source 11 is configured by combining a white LED and a near infrared LED. It may be a light source or an LED light source in which the near-infrared component of a conventional white LED is significantly increased. With such a light source 11, it is possible to realize not only a freshness maintaining function but also a display function of agricultural products in the showcase, and can be suitably used as illumination in the showcase.

  In this example, a showcase having an opening and a transparent member has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to directly touch a displayed item without a transparent member. It may be a showcase.

  Next, examples of the present invention will be described. In addition, this invention is not limited and restrict | limited by the following Example.

[Example 1]
(Continuous irradiation test at Komatsuna)
Komatsuna was irradiated with near infrared light using two near infrared LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Under the conditions of temperature 18-23 ° C., humidity 30-50%, irradiation light intensity 2.5 W / m ² (white LED), the peak wavelength of 850 nm or 940 nm is one monochromatic light near the irradiation conditions shown in Table 1. Infrared light (Reference Example 1 or 2) or mixed near-infrared light (Example 1) obtained by mixing near-infrared light having peak wavelengths at 850 nm and 940 nm was continuously irradiated to Komatsuna for 6 hours, The amount of transpiration was determined after irradiation. The comparative example calculated | required the transpiration | evaporation amount similarly except not irradiating near infrared light (comparative example 1). The amount of transpiration was determined by measuring the weight of the Komatsuna before and after the irradiation, and taking the value of the reduced weight. Moreover, the transpiration suppression rate was calculated | required by following Numerical formula 1. In this example, the transpiration suppression rate is shown as an average value of n = 2 to 3.

Incidentally, the single near-infrared light having a peak wavelength at 850nm and 940nm so that the white LED of the illumination light intensity 2.5 W / ^{m 2} and the irradiation light intensity 0.2 or 3W / ^{m 2} 1: 1 mixture of An example of the wavelength distribution when irradiated with the mixed near-infrared light is shown in the graph of FIG. In the graph of FIG. 7, the horizontal axis indicates the wavelength (nm) and the vertical axis indicates the irradiation light intensity (W / m ² ). As can be seen from the graph of the figure, two peak wavelengths were confirmed in the vicinity of 850 nm and 940 nm in the mixed near-infrared light of any irradiation light intensity.

The results of the transpiration suppression rate are shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis indicates the irradiation light intensity of near-infrared light, the vertical axis indicates the transpiration suppression rate, the square (■) in the figure indicates Reference Example 1, and the triangle (▲) indicates a reference example. 2, circles (●) indicate Example 1. Although not shown, Example 1 showed an extremely excellent transpiration rate suppressing effect with respect to Comparative Example 1 at any irradiation light intensity. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, Example 1 has excellent suppression of transpiration at 0.2 to 1.5 W / m ^{2 as} compared with Reference Examples 1 and 2 irradiated with the monochromatic near-infrared light. Showed the effect. Furthermore, in Reference Examples 1 and 2, an irradiation light intensity of 3.0 W / m ² is required to obtain a transpiration suppression rate of about 16%, whereas in Example 1, Reference Examples 1 and 2 are used. The same effect was obtained even at 0.2 W / m ² where the irradiation light intensity was about 6.7%. From these, it was found that the mixed near-infrared light has an excellent effect of suppressing transpiration, and also has a high crop freshness maintaining effect even with weaker irradiation light intensity, that is, low power consumption. .

[Example 2]
(Continuous irradiation test with mixed vegetable)
The mixed vegetables including leaf lettuce, salad salad, Mizuna and perilla (large leaves) were irradiated with near infrared light using two LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Monochromatic near-infrared light of 850 nm or 940 nm with an irradiation light intensity of 3 W / m ² under the conditions of a temperature of 18 to 23 ° C., a humidity of 30 to 50% and an irradiation light intensity of 2.5 W / m ² (white LED) (reference) Example 3 or 4), or mixed near-infrared light (Example 2) in which near-infrared light having a peak wavelength at 850 nm and 940 nm with an irradiation light intensity of 1.5 W / m ² was mixed into each of mixed vegetable 3 Irradiated continuously for 5 hours. The comparative example was the same except that no near infrared light was irradiated (Comparative Example 2). The weight reduction rate was calculated as a ratio of a reduced weight excluding the weight of the mixed vegetable before irradiation from the weight of the mixed vegetable after irradiation, where the weight of the mixed vegetable before irradiation was 1. Further, the transpiration suppression rate was determined in the same manner as in Example 1.

  The results are shown in Table 2. Table 2 is a table showing the weight loss rate and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 2, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the weight reduction rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 2, the weight reduction rate of Example 2 was lower than that of Comparative Example 2, and showed an extremely excellent transpiration rate suppressing effect. In addition, Example 2 showed an excellent transpiration rate suppression effect of 2 times or more as compared with Reference Example 3 and Reference Example 4 irradiated with the monochromatic near-infrared light. From these facts, it was found that the mixed near-infrared light has an excellent effect of suppressing the transpiration rate, that is, has a high freshness maintaining effect of agricultural products.

[Examples 3 and 4]
(Continuous irradiation test with strawberries)
The strawberry was irradiated with near-infrared light using two near-infrared light LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed and the softening of fruit hardness was suppressed.

(1) Suppression of transpiration amount Under the conditions of temperature 18 to 23 ° C., humidity 30 to 50%, irradiation light intensity 2 W / m ² (white LED), near 850 nm or 940 nm monochromatic light with irradiation light intensity 1 W / m ² Infrared light (Reference Example 5 or 6) or mixed near infrared light (Example 3) in which near infrared light having a peak wavelength is mixed at 850 nm and 940 nm with an irradiation light intensity of 0.5 W / m ² ) Were each irradiated continuously for 24 hours, and the amount of transpiration was determined after the irradiation. The comparative example calculated | required the transpiration | evaporation amount similarly except not irradiating near infrared light (comparative example 3). The relative transpiration amount was a relative value of the transpiration amount of each sample when the transpiration amount of the comparative example was 1. Further, the transpiration suppression rate was determined in the same manner as in Example 1.

  The results are shown in Table 3. Table 3 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 3, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 3, in Example 3, the relative transpiration amount was significantly reduced as compared with Comparative Example 3, and an extremely excellent transpiration amount suppression effect was shown. In addition, Example 3 also showed an excellent transpiration rate suppression effect that was twice or more that of Reference Example 5 and Reference Example 6 irradiated with monochromatic near-infrared light. From these facts, it was found that the mixed near-infrared light has an excellent effect of suppressing the transpiration rate, that is, has a high freshness maintaining effect of agricultural products.

(2) Inhibition of softening of fruit hardness Under the same conditions as in (1) above, monochromatic light near-infrared light (Reference Example 7 or 8) or mixed near-infrared light of Example (Example 4) is used as a strawberry. Each of the fruits was irradiated continuously for 24 hours, and the fruit hardness of the strawberry after the irradiation was measured with a fruit hardness meter KM-1 (manufactured by Fujiwara Seisakusho). The comparative example calculated | required the fruit hardness of the strawberry similarly except not irradiating near-infrared light (comparative example 4). The softening suppression rate was calculated | required by following Numerical formula 2.

  The results are shown in Table 4. Table 4 is a table showing the fruit hardness and softening inhibition rate of the strawberry after the irradiation. The first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the fruit hardness, and the third column shows the softening inhibition rate. As shown in Table 4, in Example 4, the softening of the fruit hardness was lower than that of Comparative Example 4, and an excellent fruit softening inhibitory effect was shown. Moreover, Example 4 showed the fruit softening suppression effect which was two times or more superior to Reference Example 7 and Reference Example 8 irradiated with the monochromatic near-infrared light. From these facts, it was found that the mixed near-infrared light has an excellent fruit softening suppressing effect, that is, a high freshness maintaining effect of agricultural products.

[Examples 5 and 6 and 7]
(Continuous irradiation test with Komatsuna using mixed near-infrared light with different mixing ratios of two near-infrared light)
Using two near-infrared LEDs with different peak wavelengths, Komatsuna was irradiated with near-infrared light with different mixing ratios of the two near-infrared lights, regardless of the mixing ratio of the two near-infrared lights, It was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Under conditions of a temperature of 18 to 23 ° C., a humidity of 30 to 50%, and an irradiation light intensity of 2.5 W / m ² (white LED), 940 nm monochromatic near-infrared light (Reference Example 9) under the irradiation conditions shown in Table 5 ), Or two near-infrared lights having different peak wavelengths of 850 nm and 940 nm are mixed at a mixing ratio of 1: 1 (Example 5), 1: 4 (Example 6), or 4: 1 (Example 7), respectively. The mixed near-infrared light of the example mixed at (irradiation light intensity ratio, 850 nm: 940 nm) was continuously irradiated to Komatsuna for 6 hours respectively, and the transpiration amount was determined after the irradiation. The total irradiation light intensity of the near infrared light was 0.5 W / m ² . Moreover, the comparative example calculated | required the amount of transpiration similarly except not irradiating near infrared light (comparative example 5). The relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate were calculated in the same manner as in Example 3.

  The results are shown in Table 6. Table 6 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 6, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 6, Examples 5 to 7 showed an extremely excellent transpiration suppression effect with respect to Comparative Example 5, regardless of the mixing ratio of two different near-infrared lights. Moreover, Examples 5-7 are 1.88-2.38 times compared with the reference example 9 which irradiated the said monochromatic light near-infrared light irrespective of the mixing ratio of two different near-infrared lights. Excellent transpiration control effect. Therefore, regardless of the mixing ratio of two or more near-infrared lights having different peak wavelengths, the mixed near-infrared light exerts an extremely excellent transpiration rate suppressing effect, that is, maintaining high freshness of agricultural products. It turns out that there is an effect.

[Examples 8 and 9]
(Short-term irradiation test at Komatsuna)
Komatsuna was irradiated with near infrared light using two near infrared LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Monochromatic near-infrared light of 810 nm, 850 nm or 940 nm (Reference Examples 10 to 15) or 810 nm and 850 nm under the conditions shown in Table 7 under the conditions of a temperature of 10 ° C. and dark conditions (0 W / m ² ) Alternatively, the mixed near infrared light (Example 8 or 9) of the examples at 850 nm and 940 nm was irradiated to the komatsuna, respectively. After the irradiation, the sample was stored under the dark condition at a temperature of 20 ° C., and the amount of transpiration after storage for 5 days and the observation of rot and leaf yellowing were performed. In the comparative example, the amount of transpiration and observation of rotting and leaf yellowing were similarly performed except that near-infrared light was not irradiated (Comparative Example 6). The relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate were calculated in the same manner as in Example 3.

  The results are shown in Table 8. Table 8 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 8, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 8, in Examples 8 and 9, the relative transpiration amount was remarkably reduced as compared with Comparative Example 6, and an extremely excellent transpiration amount suppression effect was shown. Further, Examples 5 and 6 not only showed an excellent transpiration rate suppression effect of 4 times or more with respect to Reference Examples 10 to 15 irradiated with the same irradiation time and monochromatic near infrared light, An excellent transpiration rate suppressing effect was also exhibited for Reference Examples 13 to 15 which were irradiated with monochromatic near-infrared light for 5 times the irradiation time of Examples 5 and 6. Moreover, although not shown in figure, the tendency similar to a relative transpiration | evaporation amount is seen also about stem rot and leaf yellowing, Example 8 and 9 compared with Comparative Example 6 and Reference Examples 10-15, leaf. Rot and leaf yellowing were mild. From these facts, mixed near-infrared light has an excellent transpiration rate suppression effect, and also has an excellent transpiration rate suppression effect even with a shorter irradiation time, that is, low power consumption, and high crop freshness. It was found that there was a holding effect.

[Example 10]
(Short-term irradiation test with leaf lettuce)
The leaf lettuce was irradiated with near-infrared light using two near-infrared light LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Example of 850 nm or 940 nm monochromatic near-infrared light (Reference Example 16 or 17) or 850 nm and 940 nm under the conditions shown in Table 9 under the conditions of a temperature of 23 ° C. and dark conditions (0 W / m ² ) The mixed near infrared light (Example 10) was irradiated to leaf lettuce. After the irradiation, it was stored at a temperature of 10 ° C. under the dark condition, and the transpiration amount after storage for 1 day was measured. In the comparative example, the amount of transpiration was measured in the same manner except that no near infrared light was irradiated (Comparative Example 7). The relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate were calculated in the same manner as in Example 3. In this example, the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate are shown as average values of n = 5.

  The results are shown in Table 10. Table 10 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 10, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 10, in Example 10, the relative transpiration amount was significantly reduced as compared with Comparative Example 7, and an extremely excellent transpiration suppression effect was shown. In addition, Example 10 showed an excellent transpiration suppression effect with respect to Reference Examples 16 and 17 irradiated with the monochromatic near-infrared light. From these facts, it was found that mixed near-infrared light has an excellent effect of suppressing transpiration, that is, has a high effect of maintaining the freshness of agricultural products.

[Example 11]
(Short irradiation test with tomato)
Tomato was irradiated with near infrared light using two near infrared light LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Example of 850 nm or 940 nm monochromatic near-infrared light (Reference Example 18 or 19), or 850 nm and 940 nm Examples under the conditions shown in Table 11 under the conditions of a temperature of 20 ° C. and dark conditions (0 W / m ² ) The mixed near-infrared light (Example 11) was irradiated to each tomato. After the irradiation, the sample was stored at a temperature of 20 ° C. under the dark condition, and the transpiration amount after storage for 3 days and the deterioration degree (deterioration index) of the sticking portion were examined. In the comparative example, the transpiration amount was measured and the deterioration degree of the sticking portion was examined in the same manner except that no near infrared light was irradiated (Comparative Example 8). The relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate were calculated in the same manner as in Example 3. Further, the degree of deterioration of the sticky portion is defined as 0 (no), 1 (existence) for the degree of mold generation (mold index), the degree of yellowing (yellowing index) and the level of wilting (dry index), respectively. ) Evaluation was made in three stages of 2 (甚) and calculated as the total of these. Moreover, the deterioration suppression rate was calculated | required by following Numerical formula 3. In this example, the transpiration suppression rate and each index are shown as average values of n = 3.

  Table 12 shows the results of the relative transpiration rate and the transpiration suppression rate. Table 12 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 12, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 12, in Example 11, the relative transpiration amount was significantly reduced as compared with Comparative Example 8, and an extremely excellent transpiration suppression effect was shown. In addition, Example 11 also showed an excellent transpiration suppression effect for Reference Examples 18 and 19 irradiated with monochromatic near-infrared light.

  Next, Table 13 shows the result of the degree of deterioration of the sticker portion. In Table 13, the first column is the sample name, the second column is the mold index, the third column is the yellowing index, the fourth column is the drying index, the fifth column is the degradation index, the sixth column is Deterioration rate is shown. As shown in Table 13, in Comparative Example 8, occurrence of mold, yellowing and wilting was observed in the tack part, whereas Example 11 observed no occurrence of mold and yellowing in the tack part. In addition, wilting was reduced, and the drying index was reduced by 60% compared to Comparative Example 8. Further, in Example 11, the occurrence of mold on the sticker part was completely reduced and the wilting was also reduced with respect to Reference Examples 18 and 19 irradiated with monochromatic near-infrared light. And in the degradation index which evaluated these comprehensively, compared with the comparative example 8, Example 11 showed a remarkable fall and showed the very outstanding degradation inhibitory effect. In addition, Example 11 also showed an excellent deterioration suppressing effect for Reference Examples 18 and 19 irradiated with monochromatic near-infrared light.

  From these, it was found that mixed near-infrared light has excellent deterioration suppressing effects such as prevention of mold generation, prevention of yellowing and prevention of wilting, that is, high freshness maintaining effect of crops. .

[Example 12]
(Short irradiation test with oysters)
The oyster was irradiated with near infrared light using two near infrared LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Example of 850 nm or 940 nm monochromatic near-infrared light (Reference Example 20 or 21) or 850 nm and 940 nm under the conditions shown in Table 14 under the conditions of a temperature of 25 ° C. and dark conditions (0 W / m ² ) The oysters were each irradiated with mixed near infrared light (Example 12). After the irradiation, the sample was stored at a temperature of 25 ° C. and in the dark condition, and the transpiration amount after storage for 5 days was measured. The comparative example measured the amount of transpiration similarly except not irradiating near infrared light (comparative example 9). The relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate were calculated in the same manner as in Example 3.

  The results are shown in Table 15. Table 15 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 15, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 15, in Example 12, the relative transpiration amount was significantly reduced as compared with Comparative Example 9, and an extremely excellent transpiration suppression effect was shown. In addition, Example 12 also showed an excellent transpiration suppression effect for Reference Examples 20 and 21 irradiated with monochromatic near-infrared light. From these facts, it was found that mixed near-infrared light has an excellent effect of suppressing transpiration, that is, has a high effect of maintaining the freshness of agricultural products.

[Example 13]
(Large light ultra-short-time irradiation test at Margaret)
Margaret was irradiated with near infrared light using near infrared light lasers and near infrared light LEDs having different peak wavelengths, and it was confirmed that the amount of transpiration was suppressed.

Under the conditions shown in Table 16 under the conditions of a temperature of 21 ° C. and dark conditions (0 W / m ² ), 835 nm monochromatic light near infrared light (laser) or 940 nm monochromatic light near infrared light (LED, Reference Example) 22 or 23), or the mixed near infrared light (Example 13) of the monochromatic light near infrared light (laser) of 835 nm and the monochromatic light near infrared light (LED) of 940 nm was irradiated to the margaret, respectively. . In Example 13, in the irradiation of 940 nm monochromatic near-infrared light for 10 seconds, the margaret was irradiated with a large amount of 835 nm monochromatic infrared light for 0.1 seconds about 5 seconds after the start of irradiation. That is, in Example 13, in addition to the monochromatic near-infrared light irradiation of Reference Example 23, it can be said that the mixed near-infrared light with a large amount of light was irradiated for an extremely short time (0.1 second). After the irradiation, it was stored at a temperature of 21 ° C. and in the dark condition, and the transpiration amount after storage for 3 days was measured. In the comparative example, the amount of transpiration was measured in the same manner except that no near infrared light was irradiated (Comparative Example 10). The relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate were calculated in the same manner as in Example 3.

  The results are shown in Table 17. Table 17 is a table showing the relative transpiration amount and the transpiration suppression rate during the irradiation. In Table 17, the first column shows the sample name, the second column shows the relative transpiration rate, and the third column shows the transpiration suppression rate. As shown in Table 17, in Example 13, the relative transpiration amount was significantly reduced as compared with Comparative Example 10, and an extremely excellent transpiration suppression effect was shown. Moreover, Example 13 showed the excellent transpiration suppression effect also with respect to Reference Examples 22 and 23 irradiated with the same irradiation time and monochromatic near-infrared light. From these facts, it was found that even when irradiated with a large amount of mixed near-infrared light for an extremely short time, an excellent transpiration rate suppressing effect was achieved, that is, a high crop freshness maintaining effect was achieved.

  While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

  This application claims the priority on the basis of Japanese application Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-038043 for which it applied on February 27, 2013, and takes in those the indications of all here.

  The present invention can be effectively used for maintaining the freshness of agricultural products, for example, before shipment, in stores or at home, but its application range is not limited and can be used in a wide range of fields.

10, 101, 201 Freshness maintenance device for crop 11 Light source 12 Controller 13 Farm 20 Truck 21 Transport container 15 Irradiation device body 16 Belt conveyor 17 Grip portion 30, 40 Refrigerator 31, 41 Vegetable room 50 Showcase 51 Opening portion 52 Transparent member 53 Insulation box 54 storage room

Claims (14)

A method for maintaining the freshness of agricultural products,
Including a near-infrared light irradiation step of irradiating the crop with near-infrared light,
The near infrared light irradiation step is performed using a near infrared light irradiation light source having two or more different peak wavelengths selected from the group consisting of 780 nm to 840 nm, 820 nm to 880 nm, and 910 nm to 970 nm. ,
The irradiation light intensity of the near infrared light is in the range of 1.4 × 10 ⁻² W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ⁴ W / m ² ,
The irradiation time of the near-infrared light, crops method of freshness, characterized in range der Rukoto of 1 microsecond to 72 hours. The method for maintaining freshness of agricultural products according to claim 1, wherein in the near infrared light irradiation step, irradiation with visible light is performed in addition to the irradiation with the near infrared light. The method for maintaining the freshness of agricultural products according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the agricultural products are vegetables. The method for maintaining the freshness of a crop according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the crop is a fruit. The method for maintaining the freshness of a crop according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the crop is a flower. A device for maintaining the freshness of agricultural products,
Including near infrared light irradiation means for irradiating the crop with near infrared light,
The near-infrared light emission means, 780nm~840nm, 820nm~880nm, and selected from the group consisting of 910Nm～970nm, Ri near-infrared light emission source der having two or more peak wavelengths different from each other,
Crop freshness retaining device characterized that you use to freshness method crops according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Furthermore, a light intensity control means and an irradiation time control means are provided,
The light intensity control means controls the irradiation light intensity of the light source in the range of 1.4 × 10 ⁻² W / m ^{2 to} 1.4 × 10 ⁴ W / m ² ,
7. The crop freshness maintaining apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the irradiation time control means controls the irradiation time of the light source in the range of 1 microsecond to 72 hours . The crop freshness maintaining device according to claim 6 or 7 , further comprising visible light irradiation means for irradiating the crop with visible light. A storage for storing crops,
A storage, comprising the crop freshness maintaining device according to any one of claims 6 to 8 . The storage according to claim 9 , wherein the storage is a refrigerator. A transportation means for transporting crops,
A transportation means comprising the storage according to claim 9 or 10 . The storage according to claim 9 , wherein the storage is a transport container. A display device for displaying crops,
A display device comprising the agricultural product freshness maintaining device according to any one of claims 6 to 8 . A method for producing fresh produce,
Including a freshness-keeping treatment process for performing freshness-keeping treatment on harvested crops,
Production wherein said freshness-keeping process is characterized in that it is carried out by the method of freshness crops according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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