ETHYLENE CONTROL FOR PRODUCE

We will study the use of our compact high efficiency reactor for control of ethylene, and other volatile organic compounds, that are naturally generated by produce during transportation and controlled atmosphere storage. Coupled with a dedicated sensor, our system will enable improved storage life and freshness of a variety of tree fruits and vegetable crops while reducing spoilage. In Phase I, we will focus on apple storage, developing proof of concept for our system, working at the environmental conditions prevalent in local apple storage operations. Phase I field testing in local commercial apple facilities and outreach, including food distribution centers, mixed produce refrigeration, and long distance and international refrigerated shipping, will lead to Phase II pre-commercial field testing for a variety of applications beyond apples.We expect our system to integrate with existing ventilation equipment and have a cost payback of about one year due to simplicity of operation, high intrinsic efficiency and no need for maintenance or replacement parts. Current methods of ethylene control involve the use of disposable sorbents or other materials that represent a labor and environmental burden to operators. Additionally, our approach will reduce the number of air changes needed to maintain optimum produce storage conditions, as ethylene will be controlled by our reactor rather than through energy-intensive atmosphere exchange potentially with specialty gases.Benefits include:Sensor-responsive ethylene control and removal for controlled ripening/preservation of flavor and potential extension of the high-quality apple storage period,Avoidance of costly chemical treatments for storage,Reduced cold storage stress (e.g. scald, by limiting ethylene and hormones in post-cold ripening)Possible reduced cold chain costs, e.g. potential for less reliance on inerts by limiting ethyleneUse for produce with weaker response to chemicals or cold storage/inerting, e.g. peaches, plums. Stone fruits may enjoy longer high freshness storage capability.A potentially enlarged organic sector due to longer high freshness storage life.Specific goals and metrics:A) Achieve greater than 50% single-pass ethylene conversion in controlled atmosphere (CA) storage conditions (2.5% O2, 2.5% CO2, bal. N2, ~90% RH, ~33 °F) for 0.5 to 5 ppm C2H4.B) Optimize reactor operationsto maximize conversion efficiency.C) Demonstrate no detectable byproducts (including CO, CH2O and CH2O2 with state-of-the-art on- or off-line detectors at the optimum conditions.D) Confirm performance of the above metrics in a commercial CA facility or equivalent research facility.E) Conduct outreach to establish further development for apple CA storage, at least one other tree fruit, and at least one other crop