What does respiration (breathing) in fruit mean?

 

After harvesting, fruits continue to live, they breathe, or, in other words, they absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

 

According to the intensity of respiration, the fruit and vegetables are divided into two groups:

 

1. Climacteric fruits and vegetables are the fruits and vegetables in which the intensity of respiration increases during the ripening period. This group includes apples, pears, kiwi, bananas, mangoes, avocados and others. After these fruits and vegetables are harvested, they begin to actively breathe and release ethylene intensively. The more the level of ethylene in the storage room is, the more it quickens these fruits and vegetables breathing, which leads, in its turn, to an even faster acceleration of the ripening process, and eventually, over ripening and microbiological deterioration.

 

2. Non-climacteric fruits and vegetables are those fruits and vegetables in which the intensity of respiration after harvest, on the contrary, slightly decreases or remains approximately the same throughout the entire life period. For example: pomegranate, pineapple or citrus. Such fruits, after harvesting, simply “get old” and deteriorate.

 

Intense respiration of the harvested fruits leads to a deterioration in their quality (withering, loss of color, loss of weight, etc.). The period of fruit storage, especially climacteric ones, can be increased by reducing the intensity of respiration using the CA system. The protocol for this system is as follows:

 

- During the first stage, with the help of cooling, the respiration of the fruits slows down.

 

- During the second stage, to minimize respiration process further, the CA system is activated.

This system lowers the content of oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere of the storage facility. This process slows down the respiration of fruits, decreases the amount of ethylene, reduces the intensity of oxidation processes, and thereby stops the ripening and over-ripening of fruits. The CA system also maintains a certain amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere of the storage facility. This process also reduces the effect of ethylene, slows down and inhibits various chemical reactions, reduces the development of physiological and fungal diseases, thereby it maintains the quality of the fruits, their hardness and color.

 

Also, when storing climacteric fruits that are highly sensitive to the presence of ethylene, to eliminate ethylene in the chamber, an Ethylene Burner can be additionally installed in the CA system.

 

In CA system applications, it is also possible to suppress the development of fruit diseases (fungi / mold) transferred from the orchards. This can be achieved by applying the “storage at the lowest level of oxygen and the highest level of carbon dioxide that the fruit can withstand” protocol. The parameters of this protocol are different for each type of fruit.

 

The OXYCAT team offers turnkey professional CA equipment and automation with all kinds of consulting, design, engineering and service services for your CA system, suitable for your needs and business structure.

 

You can contact us for all your questions and requests regarding our CA systems