“A recently published study conducted by the University of California at Davis and the University of Florida found that transporting strawberries in the sealed TransFresh Tectrol pallet cover system, in which CO2 concentrations were elevated at 11-16 percent, was most effective in complementing current low-temperature-management practices to reduce decay and maintain fruit quality,” stated a press release from TransFresh Corp. in Salinas, CA, dated March 25, an advance copy of which was furnished to The Produce News.

The study evaluated the efficacy of three different proprietary plastic pallet cover systems in maintaining strawberry fruit quality during commercial shipment. The TransFresh Tectrol Modified Atmosphere system was one of those assessed. Non-covered pallets served as the control for the study.

“The study further concluded that after a two-day shelf life, fruit from the Tectrol pallets achieved significantly less decay — from 3 to 7 percent — than the other systems evaluated,” the release stated.

“The independent study was conducted as part of an ongoing research initiative by two leading academic post-harvest departments, one at the University of California and the other at the University of Florida, under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Project designed to increase the consumption of specialty crops, such as strawberries, through enhanced quality and safety,” according to the release.

Researchers concluded that “transporting fruit in the sealed Tectrol pallet cover system, in which CO2 concentrations were elevated at 11-16 percent, was most effective as it also significantly reduced decay development during subsequent simulated retail display,” the release stated.

Rich Macleod, vice president of the pallet division of TransFresh North America, concurred. “The research conclusion certainly bodes well for the advantages offered by the closed Tectrol pallet bag system, in which optimal CO2 levels are consistently maintained. We encourage key stakeholders to conduct a cost-benefit analysis suited to their own individual business models,” he said in the release.

In an interview with The Produce News March 8, Mr. Macleod explained that the study came about as part of a more extensive initiative by people at the universities and the USDA to look for ways to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, tomatoes and peaches were among the commodities researchers chose to prioritize in the project.

“Within that,” he said, “they wanted to look at how strawberries are being handled today” and to evaluate “a number of different systems or processes that relied on bags to enhance the quality of strawberries.”

A careful evaluation of those things over a two-year period, as part of a seven-year project to improve quality and taste, brought researchers to the conclusion that the TransFresh Tectrol technology was most effective in reducing decay among the technologies evaluated, he said.

A full copy of the study, published in HortTechnology Aug. 2012, is available from the TransFresh Resource Library accessible on the TransFresh website.

“From a technological standpoint,” TransFresh, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands, “is always committed to finding processes that are going to deliver value to the retailer and to the consumer,” Mr. Macleod said. “This, in our mind, is an independent verification that we are accomplishing what we are trying to do in the marketplace.”