Controlled Atmosphere Refrigeration

With the world wide pressure on the tree fruit industry to supply a high quality product, it has become essential to maintain and regulate the temperature of both Cold Storage and CA. Norlock installs and maintains both ammonia and freon plants. Computer controls are installed to maintain precise temperature control and gas levels maintaining the tight parameters required to produce a high quality product.

Norlock Refrigeration is ready to meet all of your demanding ripening, cooling, and storage applications. It is our goal to provide you with the finest performing facilities at competitive prices. To achieve this, we use only the highest quality materials available, proven construction techniques, job specific engineering, attention to detail, and personalized service.

About Controlled Atmosphere Refrigeration

Controlled Atmosphere storage maintains the quality of fruit and vegetables for extended periods by regulating the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in a closed storage container, thereby delaying produce ripening.

Apple Storage

Each apple variety has different requirements for storing in CA. For example, Macintosh are stored at 3 degrees Celsius whereas Spartans are stored at 0 degrees Celsius. Golden Delicious are stored at 1.2% oxygen and 1.5% carbon dioxide whereas Royal Gala are stored at 1.2% oxygen and 1.0% carbon dioxide. Depending on harvest temperatures, estimated CA holding time, and market destination, Red Delicious can be stored at 0.0 to 1.1 degrees Celsius and 0.7% oxygen to 1.2% oxygen. The researchers at Agriculture Canada in Summerland are very helpful in providing us with information regarding the storage requirements for the many apple varieties. New apple varieties require new storage procedures.

In order to maximize the future shelf life of apples, CA rooms are sealed within two or three days of receiving fruit from growers. Generally the process works like this: At harvest the decision is made to store a particular variety of fruit in a certain CA room. Fruit is received and, if statistical sampling indicates the required quality characteristics are met, is immediately stored in the CA room. The refrigeration equipment immediately starts to cool the fruit to the desired temperature. As more fruit is received it is also stored in the CA room. Within two or three days the room is filled and the door is sealed. When the fruit in the entire room has reached the desired temperature, the oxygen is reduced by increasing the amount of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the room. Within a couple days the room attains the desired atmosphere. The automated equipment will maintain this atmosphere until the fruit is required for the fresh market.