JPS5820576B2 - How to store and ship fresh agricultural products - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to stationary or mobile storage of fresh produce, and more particularly to storing and shipping fresh produce in refrigerated containers containing a preservative modified gas atmosphere. Regarding how to.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,490,951 discloses that food products are made of carbon monoxide and acetylene, thereby eliminating atmospheric oxygen, in order to eliminate or strongly suppress undesirable enzymatic actions that spoil food products. Substantially does not contain (0,
It has been proposed to encapsulate the gas in a special gas atmosphere with particular characteristics.

According to this patented invention, the food product must be stored in a sealed hermetic container in order to maintain its special gas composition and especially its low oxygen content.

In addition, U.S. Patent No. 3,454,119 states that fresh leafy vegetables are held in an atmosphere consisting of 1 to 5 parts of carbon monoxide, 1 to 10 parts of oxygen, less than 5 parts of carbon dioxide, and the remainder of nitrogen. Disclosed is a method for processing fresh leafy vegetables.

The present invention seeks to prevent the growth of harmful fungi on fresh fruits and vegetables while storing them under refrigerated conditions for extended periods of time in such a manner that the surrounding atmosphere is a chemical antioxidant.

According to the present invention, this purpose is to produce substantially 50% of fresh agricultural products.
%, preferably about 10% or more, of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, a substantial amount of oxygen, and a balance of nitrogen in a storage vessel.

Note that the term "?'+frozen" used in this specification differs depending on the requirements of specific agricultural products, but
This means creating an ambient temperature within the range of 9 to 60'F.

Also, when the term "agricultural products" is used herein, it refers to all fresh fruits and vegetables, such as peppers, bell peppers, etc.
, cauliflower, mushrooms (pine mushroom), grapes and blueberry (blueberry)
) should be understood as encompassing.

Examples (including control test examples) for illustrating the effects of the present invention will be described below.

Example 1: Cauliflower Storage Ten corrugated board boxes containing 16 cauliflower heads per box were palletized and stored in sealed containers at an internal temperature of about 40'F.

This container contains about 2.2% carbon dioxide and 1.8% oxygen.
, an artificial atmosphere consisting of 6.0% carbon monoxide and the balance gaseous nitrogen.

The cauliflower was stored in this particular atmosphere at the above temperature for 6 days.

After 6 days, the box was opened and the cauliflower was removed and examined.

Upon examination, the cauliflowers after this test period had some yellow spots, on average 1 per box, indicating discoloration of the bulb and/or outer leaflet.

Also, some granular black spots were clearly observed at an average rate of 1 per box.

Not a single atrophy was observed.

The overall appearance was satisfactory.

As a control, 30 palletized boxes of cauliflower were stored at 40'F in atmospheric oxygen for the same period of time.

Control cauliflower was examined after the 6 day storage period.

An average of 3 to 4 yellow discolorations were observed per box, ranging from spots to the entire head.

Granular black spots were observed at an average rate of 2 per box and definite bacterial rot was observed at an average rate of 1 per box.

The overall appearance was, at best, borderline acceptable on the market.

Example 2: Cauliflower Storage Thirty-six corrugated board boxes containing 12 cauliflower heads per box were sealed in 4 and 5 mil thick plastic bags.

The bag contained approximately 4.5 parts (10 pounds) of lime.

After sealing, the bags were injected with carbon monoxide gas such that about 15% carbon monoxide remained in the bag.

Carbon dioxide was then added to produce a composition of about 10 parts nitrogen with 12-13% oxygen.

After a six-day storage period, the 4 mil thick bag contained about 5% carbon dioxide, about 5% oxygen, and no carbon monoxide.

In the 5 mil thick bag, the oxygen content dropped quickly and after 4 days an additional 4.5 to 9 (10 pounds) of lime was added to reduce the carbon dioxide content.

After a total of 7 days of storage, the charged cauliflower in the artificial atmosphere described above was compared with 8 boxes of similarly packaged control cauliflower in a normal atmospheric atmosphere, and little difference was observed.

Cauliflowers in the modified atmosphere had slightly denser bulb florets and only slightly better differences in the color of the green leaf tissue were observed.

There was no noticeable mold growth on the florets in any of the bags.

Open all the bags after this and add about 60' for 4 more days.
It was left in the air at a temperature of F.

Dramatic differences were then observed between cauliflowers initially stored in an artificial atmosphere and control cauliflowers initially stored in an atmospheric air atmosphere.

In particular, the mold growth on the control cauliflower was much more severe and the deterioration of leaf tissue was also very noticeable compared to the fresh green color of the cauliflower stored in an artificial atmosphere.

Example 3: Cauliflower Storage Cauliflower was stored in plastic bags and in sealed barrels at a temperature of about 38° C. for a total of 17 days.

The artificial atmosphere sealed in the container bag and each barrel had the following composition.1 After 17 days of storage, all of the cauliflower stored in the atmosphere containing 5 tb of carbon dioxide was It had a fresh green color.

Control samples stored in air and cauliflower stored in an artificial atmosphere without carbon dioxide showed significant depletion of their green leaf parts.

All cauliflower stored in a carbon monoxide-containing atmosphere remains in the florets.

No growth of mold was observed.

On the other hand, when carbon monoxide was not used and the artificial atmosphere contained 5% carbon dioxide, significant mold growth was observed, and there was almost no difference in this respect from the control sample in air.

All of the cauliflower samples were cooked and tasted after storage.

No bleaching or loss of aroma was observed.

From the results of this test, it is concluded that the growth of inflorescence mold is significantly inhibited by the action of carbon monoxide under conditions of increasing carbon dioxide concentration and/or decreasing oxygen concentration. .

Example 4: Storage of Be1l Pepper) Six boxes containing washed and wax-treated samples of Be1l Pepper were prepared.

Four of the boxes were placed in sealed barrels with an artificial atmosphere.

The remaining two boxes were placed in open barrels with free access to ambient air.

All barrels were held at a temperature below 45°C.

Barrel 1 contained an artificial atmosphere consisting of 10-20% carbon dioxide, 3-4 candies of oxygen, 10% carbon monoxide, and a nitrogen balance.

Keg 2 had a similar artificial atmosphere to Keg 1, except that it did not have a carbon monoxide component.

Barrel 3 was charged with an artificial atmosphere consisting of 2-4 parts carbon dioxide, 5-7 parts oxygen, 10 parts carbon monoxide, and a balance of nitrogen.

Keg 4 had a similar artificial atmosphere to Keg 3, except that carbon monoxide was not present.

After 12 days of storage under the above conditions, barrel 3
The peppers had a fresh, field-like appearance with no signs of surface mold.

Fungal rot disease was observed in only two peppers.

No surface mold was observed in barrel 4, and rot was observed in 17 barrels.

Their general appearance was somewhat compromised by the blackening of the handle ends.

Also, a significant number of the control samples that had been exposed to the atmosphere had rot, surface mold was quite evident, and most had blackened stem ends.

When the sample in barrel 1 was examined after a total of 16 days of storage, it appeared as fresh as it was in the field, and no mold was observed.

However, rot was observed in only two of them.

Three barrels of barrel 2 were infected with rotting disease, and a considerable amount of mold was observed on the surface, and the barrel had lost its flavor.

The air-exposed control barrels, which were 13 and 17 barrels, each showed rot on the samples, with obvious surface mold and many on the stem ends. The part had turned black.

From the above tests, it is concluded that carbon monoxide enhances the appearance value of chili peppers and inhibits the growth of fungi.

Example 5: Storage of Pine Shrooms Pine mushrooms were placed in four open boxes and placed in four separate barrels and sealed.

The composition of the artificial atmosphere inside each barrel was as follows.

Additionally, four boxes were left in ambient air as a control.

Little weight loss was observed in the pine mushrooms during the test period, either in the control sample in air or in the artificial atmosphere.

Overall, the weight loss of the control sample in ambient air was only one cup more than in the artificial atmosphere.

Examination of all samples after 14 days of storage at a temperature of approximately 33-34'F revealed that the sample stored in barrel 1 was only slightly superior in appearance to the atmospheric control sample.

The control sample in the atmosphere showed discoloration both on the outside and inside.
The scent was also lost.

From this result it is concluded that a certain oxygen concentration level must be maintained for good storage of pine mushrooms.

The sample in barrel 2 had a good appearance after the 14 day storage test.

Slight discoloration was observed on the inside of the cap and in the tissue of the stalk, but this was judged to be a result of growth conditions rather than something that occurred during storage.

The barrel 3 sample had the best overall appearance, both outside and inside.

It has a fresh scent, and there is no fading in the tissue inside the umbrella.
Only very slight fading was noticed on the outside of the umbrella.

The stalk tissue had some fading as a result of growth conditions.

The barrel 4 sample stored for 14 days at a temperature of about 0.55-1.11'C (about 33-34°F) showed fading on the outside and inside, similar to the atmospheric control sample; The scent was also lost.

From the above tests, it can be concluded that carbon monoxide enhances the appearance value of pine mushrooms and retains their fresh aroma.

Example 6: Storage of Pine Shrooms Pine mushrooms harvested separately from those used in Example 5 were stored in two sealed containers at a temperature of 33\34°F.

The first vessel was charged with an artificial atmosphere consisting of 20% carbon monoxide, 20% oxygen, up to 1 liter of carbon dioxide, and a balance of nitrogen.

The artificial atmosphere in the second container was 15% carbon monoxide and 2% oxygen.
0%, carbon dioxide 12% and nitrogen balance.

A control sample container was prepared which was separately exposed to atmospheric air.

After 14 days of storage, the pine mushrooms in the first container had a good exterior appearance with some interior fading similar to that in the control sample.

The contents in the second container remained almost intact even after 14 days of storage.

Almost no fading was found on the inside of the umbrella or handle.

Example 7: Prior to storage of grapes, a suitable amount of Emperor grapes (Emperor gra-pes) placed in an open box, taken and treated with sulfur dioxide.
) were stored in containers at temperatures maintained at 33-34'F in the modified atmosphere described below.

Two separate boxes of grapes were stored in atmospheric air as a control.

All samples, including controls, were stored for 97 days.

At the end of the storage period, the grapes placed in the carbon monoxide-containing atmosphere in containers 1 and 3 were completely free from mold growth.

Furthermore, the grains of these grapes were firm, the taste remained unchanged, and the luster was good.

The grapes in containers 1 and 2 with low carbon dioxide content had stems and petite tissue that were brighter green in color than the others.

The grapes stored in Container 2 also had some mold growth, but the appearance of the stems and petite tissue was in excellent condition.

The grains were firm, glossy, and tasted good.

The condition of the grapes in container 4 was comparable to that in container 3, but the stems and pedicles were browner and more shriveled than those in container 3.

The grapes in container 5 had lost their aroma and the stem tissue had become very brown and shriveled.

No obvious mold growth was observed.

The control grapes left in the air had severe mold infestation and the stem and pedicel tissues were very shriveled and brown.

EXAMPLE Storage of 8 nibble-berries A container containing about 0.471 (1 bind) of blueberries of the Walcot variety is placed and 10
It was stored in a separate desiccator.

The composition of the modified atmosphere sealed in each desiccator is as shown in the table below, and the storage temperature is 夤＄38
It was ~40°F.

Two sets of control samples were prepared that were stored separately in air.

After 16 days of storage, each sample was removed and examined for storage conditions.

The results obtained are shown in the table below.

It can be seen that, excluding the case of /16.5, all samples stored in artificial atmosphere were better preserved than the control samples stored in atmospheric air.

Addition of carbon monoxide resulted in improved preservation results in both cases.

Even after being unpacked for 3 days at ambient temperature, it remained in good condition, and no defects such as loss of flavor or graininess were observed.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Approximately -1,66 to 15.55°C (29 to 60°F)
A method for storing or shipping fresh produce that has been frozen to a temperature in the range of about 1% to 20% by volume of carbon dioxide, about 1.8% to 20% by volume of molecular oxygen, about 5% to 25% by volume of carbon oxide, and substantially Storage of fresh produce, characterized in that the produce is maintained during its storage or shipment in a modified gas atmosphere consisting of molecular nitrogen, thereby inhibiting the growth of fungi on the produce. shipping method. 2. In the method for storing and shipping fresh agricultural products as set forth in claim 1, the agricultural product is cauliflower, and the modified gas atmosphere has a carbon dioxide concentration of 2.2 to 2.
10 parts by volume, about 1.8 to 12 parts by volume of molecular oxygen, about 5 to 20 parts by volume of carbon oxide, and a remainder which is substantially molecular nitrogen. 3. In the method for storing and shipping fresh agricultural products as set forth in claim 1, the agricultural products are mushrooms, and the modified gas atmosphere contains about 5 to 20 parts by volume of carbon dioxide and about 3 to 20 parts by volume of molecular oxygen. Capacity - Carbon oxide approximately 10-20
A method as described above, characterized in that it consists of a volume fraction and a remainder that is essentially molecular nitrogen. 4. In the method for storing and shipping fresh agricultural products as set forth in claim 1, the agricultural products are chili peppers,
The modified gas atmosphere contains about 10 to 20 carbon dioxide.
3 to 7 volumes of molecular oxygen, about 10 volumes of carbon oxide, and a remainder that is substantially molecular nitrogen. 5. In the method for storing and shipping fresh agricultural products as set forth in claim 1, the agricultural product is grapes, and the modified gas atmosphere contains about 5 to 10 volume parts of carbon dioxide and about 5 volume parts of molecular oxygen. , - about 5 to 10 volumes of carbon oxide and the remainder being substantially molecular nitrogen. 6. In the method for storing and shipping fresh agricultural products as set forth in claim 1, the agricultural products are Japanese berries, and the modified gas atmosphere contains about 5 to 10 parts by volume of carbon dioxide and about 3 parts by volume of molecular oxygen. ~10 volume, - carbon oxide approx. 8-25
said method, characterized in that said method comprises: nitrogen and a remainder which is substantially molecular nitrogen.