Refrigerated Containers Research Articles

Effect of packaging and storage conditions on some quality traits of bovine meat.

Packaging is considered one of the most interesting technological aspects of food production and is a constantly evolving subject in food production. The type of packaging is important for the quality and safety of the product and for the visual appearance of the product to be immediately evaluated by consumers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of four different types of modified atmosphere packaging (ATM) and vacuum packaging (VP) currently used by a company in central Italy, on the main qualitative characteristics of beef. For these two traditional and two new solutions with reduced environmental impact and compostable were evaluated. For each type of packaging, two different products were analyzed: steaks and hamburgers. The samples, immediately after production, were transported to the laboratory in refrigerated containers. Several parameters (color, pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, and microbiological characteristics) were evaluated at time 0 and after 7 (T7), 14 (T14) and 21 days (T21) of storage in the dark and at refrigeration temperature (+4°C ± 2°C). The results showed that the two types of packaging have very similar effects on the water-retaining capacity of the steaks. More noticeable differences were recorded by the colorimetric analysis: for both steaks and hamburgers, the products packaged in the traditional packaging appeared brighter and redder than those packaged in the new alternatives. The microbiological analysis of the steaks showed higher values in the “new” packaging. The formation of abundant ropy slime was observed in one of the samples in the “new” modified atmosphere package at T21. The results of this study showed that the technological characteristics (in particular, the color) and the microbiological characteristics of the steaks and hamburgers were better in “old” packaging, with a better appearance and a longer shelf life. The results obtained show how the research for eco-sustainable products for packaging must be addressed, taking into account the effect of the materials on the qualitative and hygienic- sanitary characteristics of the meat.

Performance Assessment of ESP8266 Wireless Mesh Networks

This paper presents a wireless mesh network testbed based on ESP8266 devices using painlessMesh library. It evaluates its feasibility and potential effectiveness as a solution to monitor perishable goods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, which are often stored and transported inside refrigerated containers. Performance testing experiments with different numbers of nodes and traffic loads and different message payload sizes are conducted under unicast transmission. The impact on network performance is evaluated in terms of delivery ratio and delivery delay, which, consequently, affect the energy consumption and, hence, network lifetime. The results of this investigation are an important contribution to help researchers to propose mechanisms, schemes, and protocols to improve performance in such challenging networks.

Technology Trend Forecasting and Technology Opportunity Discovery Based on Text Mining: The Case of Refrigerated Container Technology

How to detect potential useful technical information hidden in patents and scientific papers is crucial for technology trend forecasting and potential research opportunities. Using the text mining method to extract hidden technical information is helpful in assisting strategic decision-making and predicting the tendency of technological development. This study proposes a framework to combine patent analysis and scientific paper analysis to predict technology trends and discover technology opportunities. By mining the hidden technical information, we compared an analysis of patents and scientific papers to reveal the technological development trajectory and future development trends and discover potential technological innovation opportunities. First, we extracted the knowledge contained in patents and scientific papers by text mining. Then, we cleaned and coded the data through natural language processing. We used the Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic model to cluster topics and list the multi-dimensional hierarchical structure diagram. We compared and analyzed results, combined them with expert knowledge, and drew a technology roadmap to predict future development trends and discover technological opportunities. Finally, we used refrigerated container technology as an example for validation. Results showed that the framework proposed in this study can directly and comprehensively display the development trend of technology and discover potential technological innovation opportunities to verify the effectiveness of the framework. The proposed method also provides an effective reference and inspiration for future research.

Modeling of heat transfer during the desublimation of substances into refrigerated containers

This paper presents the results of the theoretical and computational analysis of the thermal processes during the desublimation of uranium hexafluoride and hydrogen fluoride in refrigerated containers. The technological scheme of the hydrogen fluoride desublimation in the containers refrigerated by the cold air is presented. We have substantiated the desublimation method of the uranium hexafluoride residues and hydrogen fluoride from the process stream into one container. The paper also provides the estimation of the maximum container loading, when the pressure of the saturated vapors above the surface of the desublimated mixture reaches the limiting value.

Research on the Application of Cold Energy of Largescale Lng-Powered Container Ships to Refrigerated Containers

Abstract With the aim of considering the problem of excess fuel cold energy and excessive power consumption of refrigerated containers on large LNG-powered container ships, a new utilisation method using LNG-fuelled cold energy to cool refrigerated containers in cargo holds is proposed in this study, and the main structure of the cold storage in the method is modelled in three dimensions. Then, combined with the different conditions, 15 different combination schemes of high temperature cold storage and low temperature cold storage are designed to utilise the cold energy of LNG fuel, the exergy efficiency and cold energy utilisation rate calculation model of the system is established. The simulation tool ‘Aspen HYSYS’ is used to simulate and calculate the exergy efficiency and cold energy utilisation rate of the system under 15 combinations, verifying the feasibility of the scheme. According to the characteristics of such a ship’s cross-seasonal navigation routes and the number of refrigerated containers loaded in different ports, the combination schemes of the number of low-temperature cold storage and high-temperature cold storage are selected. Thus, the average exergy efficiency and cold energy utilisation rate of the whole line is obtained, which proves that LNG-powered container ships could effectively utilise the cold energy of LNG. By calculating the total electric energy consumed by refrigerated containers on the whole sailing route, before and after the adoption of the LNG cold energy method, it is found that the adoption of this new method can promote the realisation of energy saving and emission reduction of ships.

Location Advantages of the Container Port for Perishable Goods in the Murcia Region

Intercontinental perishable cargo is shipped mostly in refrigerated (reefer) containers, specialised for perishable goods. Thus, specific conditions should be provided and controlled properly due to the limited shelf life of such cargo. Moreover, as the transport must last as short as possible, the location of ports in the distribution networks influences transportation time to the destination of the cargo. This article discusses the advantages of locating the port of Cartagena for this type of transport, as shorter transport reduces the likelihood of perishable goods reaching the buyer in a worse condition than stipulated in the contract between sellers and buyers. The gravity model estimates the possibility to open a new port in the Murcia Region to reduce the total transportation time, including the waiting time of vessels in the Mediterranean ports. The gravity model, which includes perishability dynamics, is embedded in a hierarchical network of perishable cargo transport, where the timing of transport is crucial. This approach was used to evaluate the possibilities to build new container terminals in the Cartagena area. This approach could also improve the results of the evaluation of location advantages of ports for other intercontinental perishable cargo.

Оценка технической возможности перевозки плодоовощной продукции морским транспортом между портами Каспийского моря

The modern process of fruit and vegetable transportation between countries depends not only on geographical, but also on political and economic factors, which makes for searching more efficient and shorter routes. The availability of such a transport opportunity as sea transportation between the ports of the Caspian Sea makes it possible to analyze new routes for the product transportation from Iran, Azerbaijan and other countries to Russia using dry cargo vessels that are currently used as the general cargo vessels. There have been analyzed the new routes for transportation of perishable products in refrigerated containers and assessed the possibility of their transportation on the “Volga” type bulk carriers. The routes “Astara (Azerbaijan) - Moscow”, “Astara - port Alat - port Kuryk - Moscow” have been illustrated. A general arrangement drawing of a “Volga” type dry cargo vessel (project 19610) is presented, the photographs of transporting timber and containers on the decks of dry cargo vessels are given. Calculating the load of the dry cargo ship’s power plant has shown a technical possibility of transporting 16 refrigerated containers on deck of the “Volga” type vessel without changes in the design of the ship’s power plant. Conclusions are made about the need to develop effective cargo transportation by waterways in modern conditions of the loss of traditional Russian suppliers of fruit and vegetable products, about the possibility of additional use of dry cargo ships, as well as the feasibility of developing a backup diesel generator for emergency power supply of deck refrigerated containers in connection with a possible increase in the capacity of the ship power plant.

Enhanced heat transfer in a refrigerated container using an airflow optimized refrigeration unit

The present study numerically investigates the airflow and heat transfer characteristics in a conventional refrigerated container (CRC), and an improved refrigerated container (IRC) loaded with cargoes by modeling the refrigeration unit and the cargoes in the container as porous media. The IRC design is based on a previous study by the current authors, where the airflow in the refrigerated container was enhanced by improving the refrigeration unit design. The airflow inside the refrigerated container is simulated by using the fan pressure jump boundary conditions at the location of the evaporator fans in the refrigeration unit. The CRC and IRC are simulated for three fan pressure jump conditions of 50, 100, and 150 Pa. Initially, the airflow and heat transfer results under 50 Pa fan pressure jump condition are compared for CRC and IRC to estimate the enhanced heat transfer in IRC. Then, the behavior of the heat transfer characteristics in CRC and IRC under increasing fan pressure jump conditions is studied by comparing the results of CRC and IRC under the three fan pressure jump conditions. Results show that the heat transfer and the temperature homogeneity of the cargoes in IRC are significantly improved due to the enhanced airflow by the improved design of the refrigeration unit in IRC.

Ethyl Formate as a Methyl Bromide Alternative for Fumigation of Citrus: Efficacy, Fruit Quality, and Workplace Safety.

Ethyl formate (EF) was evaluated as a potential alternative to methyl bromide (MB) for phytosanitary treatment of imported citrus fruit in the Republic of Korea. Planococcus citri (Risso) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), a mealybug with known tolerance against EF and MB, was used as a representative pest to test efficacy of the two fumigants against eggs. In nine commercial-scale refrigerated container (67.5 m3) trials using imported orange, lemon and grapefruit, EF applied at the currently approved dose for citrus (70 g·m-3 at 5°C for 4 h, developed for Aspidiotus excisus Green (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), a species less EF tolerant than P. citri) resulted in 76.9-98.3% mortality of P. citri eggs. The EF treatment did not affect the sugar content or the color of peel and pulp of the treated fruit. When oranges were treated according to the current MB (64 g·m-3 at >5°C for 2 h) or EF treatment guidelines, the concentration of fumigant around the fruit fluctuated between 9.4 and 185.1 ppm for EF and 9.5-203.0 ppm for MB during the 72-h post-fumigation processes (venting [0-2 h], transportation to storage [2-24 h], and storage periods [24-72 h]) with both EF and MB maintained between 10 and 100 ppm during the storage period. Considering the efficacy of EF, its apparent lack of phytotoxicity, and its more manageable threshold limit value for humans (100 ppm EF compared to 1 ppm MB for an 8-h time weighted average exposure), our results suggest that EF may be a promising alternative to MB for the phytosanitary treatment of imported citrus in Korea.

Experimental thermal performance assessment of aluminum and copper heat pipes for refrigerated container applications

Research in the literature about using aluminum and copper heat pipes (HP) with different working fluids in refrigerated containers is limited. Therefore, an experimental investigation of a new potential of using two types of heat pipes for refrigerated container applications is conducted. The developed copper and aluminum HPs are experimentally investigated under various operating conditions with three working fluids. The copper heat pipe is investigated with ethanol, methanol, and acetone as the working fluids. The thermal performance aluminum HP is only investigated with acetone as a working fluid given the compatibility between the working fluid and the wall material. The developed HPs are investigated under a wide range of operating conditions in terms of input powers (5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 W), tilt angles (30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°), and filling ratios (15 % and 30 %). The condenser section of the HP is immersed in the bath containing dry-ice. Results show that the best thermal performance in terms of thermal resistance of 2.2 K/W is obtained, with copper HP with acetone as a working fluid at a filling ratio of 30 %, input power of 60 W, and vertical orientation. In addition, aluminum HP shows a competitive thermal performance with a minimum thermal performance of 2.6 K/W.

Cost Analysis of Multimodal Transport on Refrigerated Container

Refrigerated container multimodal transport is a long-distance interprovincial transportation, which effectively ensures the quality of agricultural products. The application of refrigerated containers and other means of transportation in the long - distance transportation of perishable agricultural products can reduce the cost of multimodal transport of agricultural products and improve the logistics efficiency. Therefore, it is of practical significance to study the multimodal transport cost analysis of refrigerated containers for perishable agricultural products. The article classifies the applicable goods in refrigerated containers and refrigerated containers; Erishable agricultural products have short shelf life and high damage rate. Refrigerated transportation tools have the particularity; In the cold chain logistics environment, in addition to considering the transportation cost, transit cost and time penalty cost of normal temperature multimodal transport, we should also consider the loss cost of perishable agricultural products in transit and the energy loss cost of refrigerated container refrigeration in transit.

Survey of biogenic amines (histamine and spermidine) in commercial seafood by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Introduction Worldwide there is serious concern about food and consumer safety [1], namely with seafood products. Consequently, there is a major concern regarding food spoilage which make them unsuitable for human consumption. When deteriorating, seafood products suffers a complex series of events that begins when the organism die [1,2]. Therefore, there is a strong need for developing reliable seafood quality analysis. In the present study we surveyed histamine and spermidine in several seafood products (fresh fish and clams), purchased in a Portuguese traditional market. Materials and methods Fresh seafood (Sardina pilchardus, Trachurus trachurus, Sparus aurata and Ruditapes decussata) were purchased in a market and taken to the laboratory in refrigerated containers. A total of 10 specimens were sampled from each species. Then samples were processed for analysis by homogenising in a phosphate buffer saline solution, centrifuged (10,000×g at 4 °C) for 15 min) and then stored at –80 °C until analysis. Seafood samples were assessed for the presence and content of histamine and spermidine using an indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) [3]. The statistical analysis was performed using the Mann–Whitney U-test to determine differences between biogenic amine levels in seafood samples. Statistics was performed with a significance level of 5%, using the software Statistica 8.0 (Statsoft, Tulsa, OK, USA). Results The results show variable results between species (from < LD to 184104 mg histamine/Kg wet weight). The highest levels were detected in T. trachurus samples and the lowest in clams. However, it was possible to detect the presence of the selected biogenic amines (histamine and spermidine) in most samples analysed. The lowest levels of spermidine were determined in R. decussata (1504.43 mg/kg w.w.), while the highest levels were determined in T. trachurus (184104 mg/Kg w.w.). Regarding histamine, the lowest levels were determined in R. decussata 20.23 mg/Kg w.w.) and the highest levels were measured in T. trachurus (460.25 mg/kg w.w.). Discussion and conclusions Although we are capable to detect the presence of the selected biogenic amines, in most of the samples the levels were below the limits established by Food and Drug Administration [4] and the European Union Commission Regulation (EC) No 1441/2007 [5].

Heat and mass transfer in refrigerated container used for tomatoes' transportation—Numerical and laboratory investigation

AbstractTo preserve vegetables fresh during long‐distance transportation, it is essential to study the heat and mass transfer characteristics inside refrigerated containers with vegetables for preventing vegetables from spoiling and withered. Based on a mechanical refrigerated container filled up with tomatoes, a 3‐D turbulence numerical model considering the heat and mass transfer characteristics of tomatoes was built in this paper. Then the dynamic temperature field, humidity field and water dissipation inside the container were calculated by the new built model for three different stacking methods. In addition, the numerical model was verified through laboratory investigation. The results indicate that in the steady state, the temperature field in the tomato storage area is higher and more layered than the surrounding environment area. The relative humidity in the container falls sharply in the initial period and then gradually increases and stabilizes in the end. When the container's loading rate is constant, compared with dense stacking method, the stacking method with 100 mm interval has a better effect for refrigerated transport. The temperature in the tomato storage area is lower, the relative humidity is higher, and the water dissipation of the tomatoes is less than the dense stacking method.Practical ApplicationsA 3‐D turbulence numerical model considering the heat and mass transfer characteristics of tomatoes was built to investigate the heat and mass transfer characteristics inside refrigerated containers. The difference between the numerical results calculated with the new built model and the experimental results do not exceed 2%, which is less than the 5% error limit in engineering, indicating that the numerical model established in this paper can effectively reflect the heat and moisture transfer characteristics inside mechanical refrigerated container filled with tomatoes. It can provide theoretical guidance for the optimized design of cargo stacking method in refrigerated containers. What's more, the 3‐D turbulence numerical model has important guiding significance for the study of the temperature and humidity distribution inside mechanical refrigerated container, which can guide the optimal design of the container.

Thermal simulation of the effect of solar radiation on the temperature increases on the refrigerated container walls

ABSTRACT Temperature increases due to solar radiation exposure in the container walls of a refrigerated container affects its energy consumption. The aim of this paper is to simulate thermal effect of solar radiation on the temperature increases on the refrigerated container surfaces by means of computational fluid dynamics. Thermal simulation was conducted with interactions between the container surfaces, taking into account the physical properties and environmental conditions, and the solar radiation is modelled using heat transfer processes. The simulation results were in good agreement with the measurement data, found the existence heat accumulation of the container walls and thermal stratification in between refrigerated containers. Results of the study indicate that heat penetration occurs from the outer surface to the inner surface of the container exceeding 4.3°C, and the thermal stratification clearly exists in gap spaces between stacks of refrigerated containers.

Analysis of the Effect of Inlet Velocity on Cooling Speed in a Refrigerated Container using CFD simulations

The use of refrigerated containers continues to increase rapidly in line with global trade, this kind of container is commonly used to deliver perishable cargo from producers to consumers over great distances, even between continents. To avoid perishable goods from damages, the temperature inside refrigerated containers was controlled and maintained to keep the cooling performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of variation inlet velocity on the cooling speed inside a refrigerated container. This study was conducted through a computational fluid dynamic simulation validated with experimental results. The simulation was carried out on the variations of inlet velocity based on low-speed fan mode at 4 m/s equal to 32 circulations/hour, and high-speed fan mode at 10 m/s equal to 80 circulations/hour. The results of the simulation show that the greater the inlet fan speed, the faster the cooling speed. The finding of this study is the cooling speed time of high cube refrigerated container with the low-speed fan is 28 minutes and the high-speed fan is 40 minutes.

Cooling of ambient-loaded citrus in refrigerated containers: What impacts do packaging and loading temperature have?

South Africa is the second-largest exporter of fresh citrus fruit, which is shipped to various distant markets for extended durations. Rising production quantities and increasingly more stringent phytosanitary requirements have placed considerable pressure on the logistics chain and the availability of precooling facilities. One solution to this challenge has been the application of ambient loading when using high-cube refrigerated containers, whereby fruit are cooled in-transit during shipping, instead of on-site by precooling. This study explored the effect of two package designs and the benefits of first partially precooling fruit prior to loading in shipping containers. Performance parameters was evaluated based on cooling rate and cooling uniformity of fruit within the spatial domain of the container. Containers loaded with Supervent and Opentop cartons had a mean cooling period (from initial to 4 °C) of 2.0 and 1.6 days, respectively. However, the study identified a high variability in cooling rate between and within individual containers. This was attributed to the presence of unpredictable gaps around the pallet stacks, which are formed during loading. These unique ensembles of gaps substantially influenced how cooling airflow was delivered throughout the container. The results thus showed package design is not a primary influencer of cooling performance. Partially precooling fruit to 10 °C, before loading, reduced susceptibility to chilling injury and decreased the presence of hot spots throughout the containers, so reducing the cooling variability within the shipment. This work highlighted the complex thermodynamic processes within fully loaded refrigerated containers, which should be characterised in future research.

Antibacterial efficiency of apple cider vinegar and pomegranate molasses on meat meals served at a university student hostel

Antibacterial effect of pomegranate molasses (PM) and apple cider vinegar (ACV) on chicken meat and beef samples before and after cooking was investigated in this study. The samples were separated into six groups as control (untreated), and treated ones with 5%PM, 3% PM, 4% ACV, 2% ACV and mix between two concentrations (2% ACV & 3%PM). A total of 24 samples of chicken and meat were collected from a university hostel. The samples were marinated by the previous concentrations of PM and ACV for 2 hours. Half of them were cooked, then each raw and cooked samples were kept in a separate plastic bag and transferred directly to the laboratory in an insulating refrigerated container under complete aseptic conditions (the experiment was repeated three times).The samples were examined to determine APC, Enterobacteriacae, coliform and the incidence of Salmonella, E. coli and S. aureus. The best results were obtained by the treated groups by the mix of 2% ACV& 3%PM and 5% PM as compared with the other treated groups.

Improved prediction of ‘Kent’ mango firmness during ripening by near-infrared spectroscopy supported by interval partial least square regression

Mangoes (Mangifera indica L.) are tropical fruits, which are sourced worldwide to supply the consumer market in Europe. Often mangoes are transported over sea in refrigerated containers at 8–10 °C and in some cases under controlled atmosphere conditions. At arrival in European countries, a vast amount of fruit is ripened under specified conditions to deliver 'Ready to Eat' fruit to consumers. The latter is a challenge due to great variability in fruit maturity stage at arrival. There are currently no good methodologies to rapidly and nondestructively monitor and control the ripening process of mangoes. A major indicator of mango ripeness is fruit firmness. In the present study, a portable visible near-infrared (400–1130 nm) (VNIR) spectrometer was used to predict the firmness of individual mango undergoing ripening. Ripening of ‘Kent’ mango was for 10 days monitored at 20 °C and relative humidity (RH) of 85%. Every other day fruit firmness (measured with AWETA acoustic firmness analyzer) and NIR spectrum were determined on 2 opposite sides of the fruit. Interval partial-least square (iPLSR) regression was used for identifying the important wavelengths responsible for predicting firmness in mangoes. Results showed a change in the VNIR spectra with the change in firmness of mangoes. The model based on selected wavelengths performed significantly better compared to PLSR without pre-selecting wavelengths. iPLSR based regression provided a correlation of calibration and prediction as R2c = 0.75 and R2p = 0.75, and root means squared error of calibration and prediction as 6.02 Hz2g2/3 and 5.92 Hz2g2/3 respectively. The iPLSR model outperformed the standard PLSR model by over 12% in R2p and 14% reduction in prediction error. The predictions by the model provided an evolution of the firmness during the complete ripening experiment. Non-destructive access to mango firmness during ripening can assist in optimizing the process to better meet the market demand.

Practical long-term storage of strawberries in refrigerated containers at ice temperature.

This study investigated the effect of storage temperature in the presence or absence of film packaging on the Benihoppe and Kirapika varieties of Japanese strawberries stored for 28 days at 0°C and 3°C. The study was conducted in a 20‐foot reefer container for practicality. Storage at 0°C suppressed decay and reduction in sugars and organic acids more efficiently than that at 3°C. Softening of fruit hardness was also suppressed depending on the variety. The reduction in sugars and organic acids did not affect strawberry palatability. Along with low temperature, long‐term storage of strawberries also requires the use of film packaging, which prevents drying. Without film packaging, storage at both 0°C and 3°C decreased fresh weight significantly, resulting in loss of commercial value. In contrast, storage in film packaging decreased weight reduction to <5%, even after 28 days cold storage.

Variation of fruit quality and taste-related sensory perception of two apple cultivars ‘Ohrin’ and ‘Sun Fuji’ stored in different refrigerated containers

Variation of fruit quality and taste-related sensory perception of two apple cultivars ‘Ohrin’ and ‘Sun Fuji’ stored in different refrigerated containers