Osaka, Japan: Daikin Active controlled atmosphere refrigerated containers are being used to ship Taiwanese guavas to the USA.
The first shipment was in January. Taiwan – dubbed the Fruit Kingdom for its ideal growing conditions that support a great variety of tropical fruits – is the first Asian country, and just the second in the world after Mexico, permitted to export guava to the USA, following an agreement signed in October 2019.
The trade deal was 10 years in the making, reflecting rigorous US sanitary and phytosanitary protocols to prevent unwanted pests from entering the country, specifically in this case fruit flies.Daikin Active was selected by the shipper to comply with the demanding cold treatment quarantine process while maintaining transport conditions for the premium guava.
Cold treatment, used internationally to prevent the spread of fruit flies without the need for pesticides, requires the core pulp of fruit to be maintained consistently below a certain temperature for a specified number of days during transport.
In the case of Taiwanese guava, US rules specify that the core of the fruit must be kept below 1 degree Celsius for 17 consecutive days.The Daikin Active system reduces oxygen and carbon dioxide and boosts nitrogen levels to put fresh produce into a state of “hibernation”. This helps maintain the quality and extends the shelf life of fresh produce, even on long journeys.
Combining controlled atmosphere with cold treatment helps to counteract potential chilling injuries and other negative effects of holding higher maturity fruit in a low temperature environment over extended periods.
The container load of guava was shipped from Tainan in southern Taiwan early this January via the Port of Kaohsiung. The consignment arrived on January 14 at the Port of Los Angeles and, following immediate inspection by US Department of Agriculture officials, was cleared and released for delivery within 24 hours.
As well as providing its active controlled atmpshere and container refrigeration technology, Daikin Reefer supported the export with close monitoring of temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels inside the container during the entire shipment. The exporter and importer were “highly satisfied” with the shipment out-turn and the guava were distributed to the market within hours. The entire shipment sold out in a single day.
“To ship guava using Daikin Active CA from Taiwan to the USA is an exciting project and we are very proud to be at the forefront of this important trade development that allows more overseas consumers to enjoy the flavour of famous Taiwanese tropical fruits,” said Mark Wu, President of Top Quality Produce.
“We are delighted that Daikin Active CA and refrigeration container technology was selected for this historic shipment, ensuring that the top-quality reputation of Taiwanese guava was maintained while meeting all the required safety controls.”
“To our knowledge this is the first use of CA container technology combined with cold treatment in the international transport of guava,” said Ah Huat Goh, general manager, Global Marketing and Service, Reefer Department at Daikin Reefer. “We look forward to supporting the growth of this exciting new export trade for Taiwan.”
