Thermo King, a manufacturer of transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has announced that it is aiming to better meet the needs of fresh produce shippers and customers alike with the recent introduction of Magnum Plus Optima, an active oxygen removal system within its controlled atmosphere solution.
This active technology for marine transportation enables exporters to provide their customers with more sensitive types of fruits and vegetables, ensuring that they arrive at their final destination with optimum quality, taste and appearance.
According to the group, by prolonging the post-harvest life of fresh products, cargo owners can extend shipping distances and reach unexplored markets. The new Magnum Plus Optima system helps maintain the firmness and crispness of the transported fruits, vegetables and flowers, reducing the shrinkage and decay of the cargo. Additionally it also permits growers to harvest produce closer to its natural maturity time and peak flavour.
“Many global shipping lines utilise passive controlled atmosphere technology today, which only maintains the atmosphere within a reefer container after it has been established by the respiratory activity of fresh produce,” says Michael van Roozendaal, vice-president for global marine, rail and bus at Thermo King.
“What’s remarkable about this new active Magnum Plus Optima system from Thermo King is that it doesn’t depend on the respiration of the fresh produce and allows for more precise control over the reefer environment, effectively slowing down the aging and ripening processes of fruits, vegetables and flowers during transit,” he notes. “This extension of post-harvest life allows growers to reach new customers with products that previously could not be shipped by sea at an affordable cost.”
Fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers are living organisms that consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide during natural respiration, a process that continues after harvest and causes aging and ripening. The quick removal of oxygen is crucial to slow down the decay process and extend their post-harvest life.
“With decades of experience in helping customers deliver goods from point A to point B, Thermo King designed the controlled atmosphere solution that extends the application of active systems from high respiring cargo such as avocados to lower respiring cargo such as apples,” adds van Roozendaal. “This will enable exporters to extend their shipping distances and provide new customers with fresh produce in the quality they expect.”
The group will be exhibiting at this year’s Fruit Logistica in Berlin, where it will help visitors learn about innovations that help deliver fruit and vegetables from their origin to the most distant locations with preserved quality, taste and appearance.
In addition to the Magnum Plus Optima technology, Thermo King will be demonstrating its passive refrigeration technology concept.
With no need for plugging and unplugging, like in the case of a conventional reefer, this concept ensures the cargo is transported at the right temperature and humidity conditions to preserve the quality, taste and weight of fresh harvested produce, regardless of the region, time or operator
