JPH04102577A - Container for transporting perishable plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transport perishable plants without deteriorating the quality by providing a cold reserving material in the upper part of a space defined between a heat insulating box and its inner compartment, an air ventilation hole having a humidity permeable membrane on the top panel of the inner compartment and an ethylene adsorption device in a rear space defined by the inner compartment and the heat insulating box. CONSTITUTION:A freely detachable cold reserving material 26 is previously frozen and placed into a transport container 23 before its use. The water content having a humidity not lower than saturation humidity permeates slowly from a membrane module 27 provided at the top panel of an inner compartment 25 to the side of the frozen cold reserving material 26 being a cooling source, whereby the interior of the inner compartment 25 can be maintained at so a high humidity as to be suitable to perishable plants A such as vegetables. The transport container 23 is of such a double wall construction that the perishable plants A can be indirectly cooled, without the cold air directly entering the inner compartment 25, and for this reason they can be transported in a fresh condition. At the time of shipment, an ethylene adsorption device 23 is switched on to be placed into operation, whereby the ethylene gas emitting from the perishable plants A is sucked through a sucking opening 35a into the ethylene adsorption device 33 and removed by adsorption on the active carbon 36 provided therein.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for transporting fresh plants such as vegetables, flowers, fruits, etc. in a fresh state.

Conventional technology As a method for transporting fresh plants such as vegetables, flowers, and fruits in a fresh state, containers equipped with a vacuum cooling device and a gas-selective permeable membrane have recently been developed as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-70386. A method of transporting fresh plants using

An example of the conventionally proposed container for transporting fresh plants and a transport method using the container will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a conventionally proposed method for transporting fresh plants. Reference numeral 1 indicates a plurality of vacuum containers distributed in a harvest area for fresh plants, and 2 a vehicle equipped with a vacuum cooling device 3 that tours each vacuum container 1. The vacuum container 1
As shown in FIG. 4, the exhaust port 5 is equipped with an exhaust port 5 provided with an exhaust valve 4, an opening/closing door 6, and a lower gas inlet for gas for suppressing breathing of fresh plants. The connection port 8 of the air-cooled ear device 3 is connected, and the opening/closing door 61
r: The transport container 9 is taken in and taken out by opening and closing.

In addition, pulp 10a and 10b are installed in the gas introduction lower
.

Carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 and nitrogen gas cylinder 1 via 1oc
2 is connected, the pulp 10a is opened, and the pulp 10
By adjusting the opening degrees of b and 10c, a mixed gas of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas at an arbitrary mixing ratio can be introduced into the vacuum container 1.

The vacuum cooling device 3 includes a cold trap 13 connected to a connection port 8 and a vacuum pump 16 connected to the trap 13 via a pulp 14, and supplies refrigerant to a heat exchanger 17 of the cold trap 13 by a power source 16 such as a battery. A refrigerator 18 and a vacuum pump 15 that circulate the water are driven. Further, 19 is a drain valve of the cold trap 13. The transport container 9 has a vent 21 covered with a gas-selective permeable membrane 2o made of polyethylene, etc.
It has 1L22. Next, the operation will be explained.

A plurality of vacuum containers 1 and transportation containers 9 are arranged in required numbers at a harvesting area for fresh plants, and when vegetables, fruits, etc. are harvested, they are packed in boxes and stored in the transportation containers. When a car 2 equipped with a vacuum cooling device 3 visits the vacuum container 1, the vacuum cooling device 3 is connected to the exhaust port 6 of the vacuum container 1, and the transportation container 9 containing fresh plants is transferred to the vacuum container 1. The vacuum pump 16 and cold trap 13 are sequentially operated. As a result, the interiors of the vacuum container 1 and the container 9 are evacuated, and ethylene gas, which ages and ripens the fresh plants, is removed, and water is evaporated from the fresh plants, resulting in a lower temperature and vacuum cooling. After this vacuum cooling, a mixed gas of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas at an arbitrary mixing ratio is introduced into the vacuum container 1 from the gas introduction lower to bring it to atmospheric pressure, and the container 9 is transported at room temperature or low temperature. During this transportation, by the action of the gas-selective permeable membrane 2o provided in the vent 21 of the container 9, the carbon dioxide inside the container e is exhausted and oxygen from the outside is introduced, so that the carbon dioxide inside the container 9 is Since the concentration is kept constant, fresh plants are kept fresh without causing carbon dioxide gas damage during transportation!
It was said that they could be transported to the market.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the above configuration and method, since the shipping container 9 does not have a cooling device, a separate low-temperature transport vehicle is required for low-temperature transport. Further, the shipping container 9
is a closed system, and the gas-selective permeable membrane 20 provided at the vent 21 keeps the mixed gas of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas introduced into the container s at a constant ratio.
roll@dAtmosph・re) Since it is stored in a storage state, it has poor water vapor permeability, and when vegetables are stored, the inside of the container 9 becomes overhumidified, and the cardboard box in which it is stored becomes soft due to water wetness. , Leaf and stem vegetables that are sensitive to water, such as asparagus and chrysanthemum, become stuffy and deteriorate in quality. Further, the removal of ethylene gas is only performed when the vacuum pump 16 is activated before transportation, and the ethylene gas that has come into the container S during transportation cannot be removed. Furthermore, since the shipping container 9 is a pressure-resistant container, it is very heavy and difficult to handle. Conventionally proposed containers and transportation methods for transporting fresh plants have had the above-mentioned problems.

The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems and provides a transportation container with a cooling function, which eliminates the need for a special low-temperature transport vehicle for low-temperature transport, and which allows the moisture vapor evaporated from vegetables to escape appropriately. The purpose of this device is to transport fresh plants such as vegetables, fruits, and flowers without deteriorating their quality by keeping the humidity inside the container suitable for vegetables and adsorbing and removing ethylene gas emitted from fresh plants. It is.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the container for transporting fresh plants of the present invention stores cold in the upper space of the space formed by the inner box and the insulation box within the double-walled insulation box. A vent hole with a moisture-permeable membrane is provided on the top surface of the inner box, and an ethylene adsorption device is provided in the back space formed by the inner box and the insulation box.

Effect of the present invention With the above-described configuration, when fresh plants such as vegetables are stored in a container, the inside of the cold storage agent inner box is indirectly cooled from the surroundings, and the inside of the inner box and the outside space are cooled. Using the water vapor partial pressure difference, excess water vapor transpiring from vegetables, etc. is gradually permeated through the vent with a moisture permeable membrane provided in the inner box, thereby maintaining the inside of the inner box at an appropriate humidity. Furthermore, by adsorbing and removing ethylene gas emitted from fresh plants using an ethylene adsorption device, it is possible to easily transport soft fresh plants such as vegetables, fruits, and cut flowers while maintaining their freshness. It is.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, a container for transporting fresh plants according to an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a container 23 for transporting fresh plants according to the present invention, in which 24 is an insulated box, 26 is an inner box, and 26 is a container for transporting fresh plants.
2 is a cold storage material placed on the top of the heat insulating box, and 27 is a moisture permeable membrane module. The heat insulating box 24 is made of a stainless steel panel 24 & a heat insulating material 24 b made by injecting and foaming hard urethane into the hollow part of the panel 24 a, and the top surface of the inner box 25 has a flat membrane module 27 . The membrane module 27 consists of a moisture-permeable membrane 27a made of a thin film of polydimethylsiloxane or the like, and a flat plate 27b made of plastic having apertures to support the moisture-permeable membrane 27a. Further, 28 is a fan for circulating cold air around the inner box 26, 29 is a drain hole, 29
& indicates a drain cap covering the drain hole, a 30q stainless steel split panel 30a, and a urethane foam insulation material 30b
31 is a handle, and 32 is an underframe having a fork insertion hole 32a of a forklift. Furthermore,
A removable ethylene adsorption device 33 is disposed in the back space of the insulation box 24 and the inner box 25, and cold air from which ethylene has been removed is circulated into the inner box through a ventilation hole 34 provided on the back of the inner box 26. I have to. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the ethylene adsorption device 33, where 36 is a casing made of nutenless, 36a is a cold air inlet, 3sb is a cold air outlet, 36 is activated carbon, 3T is a ceramic heater, and 38 is an ethylene A blower fan for sending degassed cool air into the inner box 26, 39 a fan drive motor, 4o a partition wall inside the casing 36 provided for the purpose of smooth air blowing,
41 is a power source such as a storage battery, and 42 is a power plug for energizing the ceramic heater.

Note that the cold storage material 26 is removable and can be attached to the shipping container 2.
3 is frozen in advance in a freezer (not shown) and placed in the container 23 before use.

With the above-described configuration, when the harvested fresh plants A are stored in the transport container 23, the moisture transpired by the respiration and transpiration of the fresh plants A is absorbed. The inside of the box 26 is kept at high humidity. The moisture above the saturated humidity is gradually removed from the membrane module 27 provided on the top surface of the inner box 26 by the original shaped cold storage material 2, which becomes a cooling source.
The inside of the inner box 26 can be maintained at a high humidity (80 to 96% RH) suitable for fresh plants A such as vegetables. Although the inner box 26 has a sealed structure, as mentioned above, water with a humidity higher than the saturated humidity is extracted from the membrane module 27 due to the water vapor partial pressure difference between the inside and outside of the inner box 26, so there is no condensation on the top surface of the inner box 25. Water does not adhere to the container, and it is possible to prevent damage to soft fresh plants such as spinach, asparagus, and cut flowers due to stuffiness caused by dripping of condensed water that would occur if the container was simply used in a closed container. Furthermore, the shipping container 23
has a double structure and can indirectly cool the fresh plants A without the cold air directly entering the inner box 26.
It can be transported in a fresh state without being dried.

Also, when transporting the ethylene adsorption device 33, a switch (
(not shown) and drives the container 23.
Fresh plants A (vegetables) stored inside.

Ethylene gas discharged from fruits, flowers, etc. passes through the moisture permeable membrane 27a, is sucked into the ethylene adsorption device 33 through the suction D35a, and is adsorbed and removed by the activated carbon 36 therein, thereby producing clean cold air. It is circulated into the inner box 26 through the vent on the back side of the inner box 25.

Therefore, ethylene gas, which has the effect of aging and ripening fresh plants A, is reduced, and the freshness of vegetables such as broccoli and eggplant, and cut flowers such as carnesian soda, in which the respiration is greatly promoted by ethylene, is reduced. can be held. It also becomes possible to mix-load fruits such as apples, which produce a large amount of ethylene, with fruits and vegetables that are susceptible to the effects of ethylene. Furthermore, when the ethylene adsorption capacity of the activated carbon 36 of the ethylene adsorption device reaches saturation, the ethylene adsorption device 33 is removed at the end of transportation, the ceramic heater 37 is energized to desorb ethylene, and the activated carbon 36 can be recycled, so it can be used repeatedly.Therefore, the shipping container 23 does not require a special truck for low-temperature transportation, unlike the conventionally proposed transportation method using the shipping container 9. , it can be easily transported by a normal truck, and since the vacuum container 1 and vacuum cooling device 3 required in the conventional method are not required, it is possible to transport fresh plants at low cost.Currently, fresh plants that require pre-cooling Many of the production areas of asparagus (asparagus, lettuce, spinach, etc.) have vacuum pre-cooling equipment or differential pressure pre-cooling equipment installed in the production area, so if fresh plants are transported after pre-cooling in the transport container 23, they can be transported with higher freshness. The moisture-permeable membrane 27a allows water vapor to pass through well, whereas the conventional gaff-selective permeable membrane 20 allows C.
In order to use a membrane material (such as polyethylene) to create a storage atmosphere, water vapor permeability is generally lower than that of the moisture permeable membrane 27a.
It's both bad and bad.

Therefore, in the conventional example, the humidity is too high and stuffiness occurs, but
The transportation container 23 is less stuffy than conventional containers and can maintain the freshness of fresh plants. In addition, most fresh plants are transported by truck from the production area to the market within 24 hours, and within this transportation period, maintaining the proper temperature and humidity has a higher contribution rate than the effect of the CA storage atmosphere. Therefore, it is possible to inexpensively transport the material in the transport container 23 without having to perform vacuum cooling using an expensive device and then introducing carbon dioxide gas or nitrogen gas to create a CA atmosphere as in the conventional example.

The moisture permeable film 27a may be a thin film of polyalkylmethylsiloxane or polyamino acid urethane.

As described above, the container for transporting fresh plants of the present invention has the following effects:
It is composed of an insulating box with an opening/closing door, has an inner box with a double structure inside the insulating box, and the front side of the door is open, and a cold storage material is arranged in the upper space formed by the insulating box and the inner box. A membrane module having a moisture permeable membrane made of a thin film of polydimethylsiloxane or the like is disposed on the top surface of the inner box, and an ethylene adsorption device is further provided in the back space formed by the heat insulating box and the inner box. Because it is a material, it is possible to keep the inside of the container at a low temperature and moderately high humidity, and also to adsorb and remove ethylene gas generated from fresh plants, so it is possible to remove the ethylene gas generated from fresh plants, especially broccoli and other plants that are easily affected by ethylene. Vegetables and soft perishable plants such as cut flowers such as carnations can be transported together in a fresh state. Furthermore, since the ethylene adsorption device has activated carbon and a heater for regenerating the activated carbon, the activated carbon, which is an ethylene adsorbent, can be used repeatedly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a container for transporting fresh plants according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing an ethylene adsorption device for the same transport container, and Fig. 3 is a conventional 23... Transport container, 24...Insulation box, 25...Inner box, 26...Cold storage material, 27...Pus module, 27a...Moisture permeable membrane , 33... Ethylene adsorption device, 36... Active L 3a... Ceramic heater. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and one other person

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Consisting of an insulating box with an opening/closing door, the inside of the insulating box has a double structure with an inner box that is open on the front side of the door, and a cold storage material is placed in the upper space formed by the insulating box and the inner box. A membrane module having a moisture permeable membrane made of a thin film of polydimer siloxane or the like is disposed on the top surface of the inner box, and an ethylene adsorption device is installed in the back space formed by the heat insulating box and the inner box. Container for transporting fresh plants. (2) The container for transporting fresh plants according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene adsorption device includes activated carbon and a heater for regenerating the activated carbon.