The biggest pain point of fresh ocean shipping is quality deterioration during long-distance voyages of more than 20 days. Most exported fruits and vegetables are climacteric products such as apples, kiwis, avocados and bananas. These products maintain strong respiration after harvesting. Relying only on the single low-temperature preservation mode of ordinary reefer containers has many unavoidable defects, which are the main cause of high fresh cargo loss.
Firstly, ordinary reefer containers have a short fresh-keeping time and are not suitable for long-distance ocean shipping. Traditional reefer boxes only rely on low temperature and cannot inhibit the respiration of fruits and vegetables. During ocean voyages over 20 days, produce continues to respire and release ethylene, leading to over-ripening, softening and rot, resulting in extremely high cargo loss rates.
Secondly, it cannot suppress ethylene ripening, causing a "one bad fruit spoils the whole container" risk. Ethylene is a natural ripening gas. Normal reefer containers have no ethylene removal function. Ethylene accumulated in the container accelerates the aging and ripening of the entire batch of goods, bringing huge spoilage risks.
Thirdly, poor preservation effect on climacteric fruits. For typical export fruits including apples, bananas, avocados and kiwis, simple cooling can only delay but cannot stop ripening. After long-distance ocean transportation, the texture, firmness and appearance of fruits drop sharply, greatly reducing commodity value.
In addition, limited humidity control leads to severe water loss and weight loss. Most traditional reefer containers, especially old models, have weak humidity adjustment ability. Dry air inside causes fruits and vegetables to lose water continuously, resulting in shriveled peel, weight loss and poor appearance.
More importantly, uncontrolled gas composition easily causes CO₂ poisoning. Fruits and vegetables continuously produce carbon dioxide through respiration. Without a CO₂ washing and removal system, CO₂ accumulates severely inside ordinary reefer containers, causing browning, peculiar smell and irreversible quality damage to fresh produce.
In terms of comprehensive cost, ordinary reefer containers have high hidden costs and low cost performance. Although the rental fee is lower, the huge losses caused by cargo deterioration and value depreciation far exceed the rental price difference of controlled atmosphere reefer containers for high-end fresh products.
A controlled atmosphere reefer container completely solves all the above problems. It precisely adjusts internal oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity, and removes ethylene gas, fundamentally inhibiting fruit respiration and ripening. It effectively avoids ethylene spoilage, CO₂ poisoning and water loss, greatly extends fresh-keeping time, and perfectly adapts to long-distance ocean shipping over 20 days with minimal cargo loss.
Why choose controlled-atmosphere reefer container?
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Comparison Items |
Standard Reefer Container |
CA Controlled Atmosphere Reefer Container |
|
Gas Environment |
Ordinary air, O₂ ≈ 21% |
Customized modified atmosphere: O₂ 2%~8%, CO₂ 1%~5% (adjusted according to fruit & vegetable varieties) |
|
Preservation Principle |
Slow down respiration merely by low temperature |
Dual inhibition of respiration via low temperature, low oxygen, controlled CO₂ and ethylene removal to greatly reduce respiratory intensity |
|
Preservation Duration |
Normally 7–12 days for fresh produce |
Shelf life can be extended to 1–2 times |
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Equipment Cost |
Low with simple refrigeration unit |
High, equipped with extra nitrogen generation, CO₂ scrubbing and ethylene removal modules |
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Energy Consumption |
Relatively low |
Low energy consumption |
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Applicable Cargo |
Frozen goods, fresh produce for short-distance transport |
High-value fresh fruits for long-distance ocean shipping |
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Operation Complexity |
Easy to operate |
Complicated, requires pre-gas conditioning, gas monitoring and skilled operators |
