Ottimizzazione degli impianti per la prerefrigerazione e per il cold treatment di frutti di agrume destinati all’esportazione [Research on pre-cooling and cold treatment technology for the export of fresh cut citrus fruit]

This work shows the results of a research activity aiming both to a quick decrease and a homogeneous distribution of citrus fruits temperature during the postharvest and the transport phases. Citrus fruits are widely transported worldwide in the last years, and trade towards extra UE countries grew continuously; moreover, commercial agreements with extra UE countries generally require both the respect of the fruit quality standards and the restriction of the parasites spread by means of an opportune fruit treatment named as “cold treatment”. A pilot plant for the rapid cooling of citrus fruits, stacked in pallet, was assembled, supplied with an automatic system for temperature monitoring and recording. Moreover, the temperature distribution inside a transport container simulating the “cold treatment”, using both conventional and innovative (more vented surface) package boxes for citrus. Data show that the pre-cooling operation is an important stage to improve the quality of citrus fruits before the container loading. The vented boxes guarantee a more accurate control of fruit temperature versus classic boxes. Concerning the temperature monitoring, probes show a good result in terms of temperature homogeneity.