英国格林威治大学SafePod果蔬气调贮藏保鲜项目

来源: 图拉扬科技发布日期: 2024-01-12 访问量: 590

导读	长期贮藏延长了英国种植的苹果和梨的上市期，但随着对化学品使用的限制越来越严格，这是一个越来越大的挑战。实现这一点的一种途径是低氧贮藏，但由于低氧损伤的可能性，这是有风险的。通过提供检测贮藏苹果中压力开始的方法，SafePod使贮藏更接近大气成分的耐受极限，从而提高水果质量，最大限度地减少因疾病造成的损失。标签: 动态气调、DCA-RQ、低氧胁迫、LOL、safepod、Labpod、苹果、马铃薯、芒果、樱桃

Abstract

Longer-term storage extends the marketing period for UK grown apples and pears, but is an increasing challenge as restrictions on chemical use become more stringent. One route to achieve this is low O2 storage, but this is risky due to the possibility of low O2 damage. By providing the means to detect the onset of stress in stored apples, SafePod enables storage closer to the tolerance limits of atmospheric composition, thus improving fruit quality and minimising losses due to disorders.

长期贮藏延长了英国种植的苹果和梨的上市期，但随着对化学品使用的限制越来越严格，这是一个越来越大的挑战。实现这一点的一种途径是低氧贮藏，但由于低O2损伤的可能性，这是有风险的。通过提供检测贮藏苹果中压力开始的方法，SafePod使贮藏更接近大气成分的耐受极限，从而提高水果质量，最大限度地减少因疾病造成的损失。

SafePod detects stress through changes in respiratory characteristics that indicate a switch to damaging anaerobic respiration. SafePod is a chamber placed within a fruit store which holds a sample of fruit representative of the whole store consignment. The SafePod atmosphere can be isolated from that of the whole store, and so that the respiratory characteristics of fruit can be measured using new-generation gas sensors.

SafePod通过呼吸特征的变化来检测压力，这些变化表明转换为破坏性厌氧呼吸。SafePod是放置在水果仓库内的一个隔间，里面存放着代表整个仓库货物的水果样品。SafePod的空气可以与整个仓库的空气隔离，因此可以使用新一代气体传感器测量水果的呼吸特性。

The key research component within this project is to determine the relationship between the changes in the respiratory characteristics of the fruit and the optimum storage environment. This is expected to differ by fruit variety according to tissue characteristics such as density and mineral composition, and also to be highly dependent on fruit maturity. The researchers will work closely with the rest of the consortium to optimise the use of the prototype SafePod in growers' stores and to provide Best Practice Guides on how to translate the SafePod data to optimise storage strategies.

该项目的关键研究内容是确定水果呼吸特性的变化与最佳贮藏环境之间的关系。根据密度和矿物成分等组织特征，预计不同的水果品种会有所不同，并且高度依赖于水果成熟度。研究人员将与联盟其他成员密切合作，优化种植者仓库中原型SafePod的使用，并提供如何解读SafePod数据以优化贮藏策略的最佳实践指南

Technical Summary

Over 170 k tonnes of apples and pears are stored annually in the UK. In the absence of post-harvest chemicals, losses due to poor quality and disease are estimated at 3-15%. The project will deliver a new engineering solution to reduce losses. By monitoring metabolic status of fruit, SafePod will allow growers to use lower storage O2 concentrations than currently achievable, extending storage-life of fruit without risking damage. The project will optimise the use of the prototype SafePod in growers' stores and under lab conditions to define optimum storage for different apple and pear varieties and operating conditions for SafePod. The project brings together post-harvest researchers, storage engineers, growers and the retail sector to deliver better quality fruit to the consumer and reduce waste. The global market for SafePod is huge, with potential markets in UK and worldwide includingUSA/Canada, Australia, Europe and India.

Planned Impact

Longer-term storage extends the marketing period for UK grown apples, but is an increasing challenge as restrictions on chemical use become more stringent. One route to achieve this is low O2 storage, but this is risky due to the possibility of low O2 damage. By providing the means to detect the onset of stress in stored apples, SafePod enables storage closer to the tolerance limits of atmospheric composition, thus improving fruit quality and minimising losses due to disorders. The
ouputs of this project will therefore have practical implications for the fresh produce industry.

SafePod introduction is timely as the long-term storage potential of apples (4-12 months) has been compromised by loss of post-harvest chemicals resulting in 3-15% (£3-15 million) losses of the stored UK crop. The SafePod system can deliver an estimated of £3-6 million cost saving through reduction in waste in the UK alone. With a 40 % rise in in two of UK's major apple vars. Gala and Braeburn, there is a large economic gain in extended storage/ marketing period.

SafePod will be equally effective in extending storage life of a wide range of apple and pear varieties, and in monitoring storage health of other commodities (potato, onion, stone fruit, avocado, cabbage and beans).

Consumers and retailers will both benefit from increased sales of UK fruit with improved quality and greater seasonal availability.

The SafePod will reduce economic waste of downgraded fruit and lower the incidence of post-harvest diseases and physiological disorders that reduce growers profitability. All of this will be achieved with a reduced dependence on chemical use. The reduction in losses constitutes an energy saving.
ICA will benefit from sales of SafePods within the UK and overseas. Short-term benefits of £7M are estimated. In addition a modified stand-alone lab-based 'LabPod' will be developed, suitable for CA research facilities. SafePod's advantage is easy integration into existing ICA storage equipment used extensively in the UK (90%) making adoption cost effective.

The research will provide insights that will have applications beyond top fruit storage. For example it will provide insight into the impact of tissue structure on gas exchange and how this in turn impacts on metabolic response to stresses of extreme controlled atmosphere conditions. This could have applications beyond fruit to other bulky commodities such as potato.

Description	Developing controlled atmosphere storage of Mangoes
Organisation	Blue Skies Holdings Ltd
Department	Blue Sky Products (Ghana) Ltd
Country	United Kingdom
Sector	Private
PI Contribution	Using the SafePod technology to carry out trials, we have worked with Blue Skies to test and optimise CA storage of mature, unripe mangoes. The objective of these trials is to lengthen the processing season for Blue Skies fresh cut mango production in Ghana.
Collaborator Contribution	Blue Skies fund the trials and provide both the materisla and expertise on mango.
Impact	Storage protocols to enable longer term storage of mango. Development of a proposal for funding to replace plastic packaging with paper based packaging. Funding secured subject to contract.
Start Year	2022


Description	P-Pod - Extending the SafePod technology to monitor potato tuber status in situ during storage
Organisation	Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board
Department	Potato Council
Country	United Kingdom
Sector	Charity/Non Profit
PI Contribution	Long term potato storage is a challenge especially for processing potatoes, as tubers need to be stored for several months and losses can often be over 10%. The loss of Chlorpropham (CIPC) for sprout control is especially challenging for the processing sector for which storage at higher temperatures is necessary to avoid low temperature sweetening. The rationale of the P-Pod technology is to develop accurate in-store real-time monitoring of the physiological status of tubers to allow more efficient storage protocols, accurately tailored to the characteristics of each cultivar so that existing sprout control methods can be more effective. The concept was originally developed as the SafePod technology to monitor the status of fruit during long-term apple storage. The P-Pod is a chamber designed to be placed within a commercial store to monitor the status of samples of tubers (80 - 100 Kg) throughout the storage period. The Pod can be controlled in two modes; shared and isolated. In the shared mode tubers within the chamber are exposed to the same conditions as the rest of the store, while, when temporarily set to isolated mode, the pods seal tubers inside the pod while respiration measurements are performed using high resolution CO2 and O2 sensors. The project has run in three consecutive seasons (2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21) with increasingly sophisticated evolutions of the technology as more has been learnt about the needs and challenges of in situ respiratory monitoring of potato tubers. The research team advised on the design of the P-Pod equipment and have undertaken a set of storage trials over three seasons to develop protocols to use respiratory characteristics to monitor tuber physiological status and quality.
Collaborator Contribution	Storage Control Systems Inc, designed and manufactured the equipment. AHDB Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research undertook a set of parallel trials at their facilities.
Impact	Results are preliminary, but indicate that the respiratory response of potato tubers do provide valuable information on physiological status and quality.
Start Year	2018


Description	P-Pod - Extending the SafePod technology to monitor potato tuber status in situ during storage
Organisation	Storage Control Systems
Country	United States
Sector	Private
PI Contribution	Long term potato storage is a challenge especially for processing potatoes, as tubers need to be stored for several months and losses can often be over 10%. The loss of Chlorpropham (CIPC) for sprout control is especially challenging for the processing sector for which storage at higher temperatures is necessary to avoid low temperature sweetening. The rationale of the P-Pod technology is to develop accurate in-store real-time monitoring of the physiological status of tubers to allow more efficient storage protocols, accurately tailored to the characteristics of each cultivar so that existing sprout control methods can be more effective. The concept was originally developed as the SafePod technology to monitor the status of fruit during long-term apple storage. The P-Pod is a chamber designed to be placed within a commercial store to monitor the status of samples of tubers (80 - 100 Kg) throughout the storage period. The Pod can be controlled in two modes; shared and isolated. In the shared mode tubers within the chamber are exposed to the same conditions as the rest of the store, while, when temporarily set to isolated mode, the pods seal tubers inside the pod while respiration measurements are performed using high resolution CO2 and O2 sensors. The project has run in three consecutive seasons (2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21) with increasingly sophisticated evolutions of the technology as more has been learnt about the needs and challenges of in situ respiratory monitoring of potato tubers. The research team advised on the design of the P-Pod equipment and have undertaken a set of storage trials over three seasons to develop protocols to use respiratory characteristics to monitor tuber physiological status and quality.
Collaborator Contribution	Storage Control Systems Inc, designed and manufactured the equipment. AHDB Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research undertook a set of parallel trials at their facilities.
Impact	Results are preliminary, but indicate that the respiratory response of potato tubers do provide valuable information on physiological status and quality.
Start Year	2018


Description	Project consortium - Extending the season for Kentish Cherries
Organisation	Norton Folgate Marketing Ltd
Country	United Kingdom
Sector	Private
PI Contribution	A consortium has been set up involving Norton Folgate, CE Murch, Storage Control Systems Ltd, TerraPrima Group, International Water Solutions, NRI-UoGreenwich. A resulting project proposal was developed led by a team from Norton Folgate and NRI. The proposal has been funded through the Strength in Places project, Growing Kent and Medway, subject to Grant Offer Letter. The team that developed SafePod was central to this project development. The SafePod technology will be used in two ways, as a means of characterising fruit to optimise harvest time, and as a means to develop a commercially viable system for cherry storage using controlled atmospheres.
Collaborator Contribution	The overall project involves the application of a range of technologies to extend the Cherry season. In addition to the technologies related to SafePod, TerraPrima provide sensing technology to monitor production conditions and International Water Solutions provide technologies to sanitise rain covers and fruit after harvest.
Impact	Successful application for funding (subject to offer letter) for a project to improve cherry production and storage in the UK
Start Year	2021