JPH04311489A - Container for transportation of perishable plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To preserve freshness of perishable plant including vegetables, fruits, flowering plant, etc., and to transport them easily without employing a spacific vehicle for low-temperature transport by a method wherein a container for transportation of the aforementioned perishable plant is prepared, in which the perishable plant can be kept at an appropriate low temperature and at a high humidity and furthermore ethylene gas is dissolved and eliminated. CONSTITUTION:A thermal insulating box 24 is constructed in a duplex structure, and a heat regenerating material 26 is provided in an upper space formed by the thermal insulating box 24 and an inner box 25, and a water vapor permeable membrane module 27 is provided to the ceiling surface of the inner box 25. An ozonizing electrode 36, an ethylene adsorption material 44, an ozonolysis catalyst 43, and a blowing fan 39 are arranged in this order from the windward side in an ethylene dissolving device 33, which is provided in a space on the rear side between the thermal insulating box 24 and the inner box 25.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for transporting fresh plants such as vegetables, flowers, and fruits in a fresh state.

0002

[Prior Art] In recent years, as a method for transporting fresh plants such as vegetables, flowers, and fruits, JP-A-64-70
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 386, a method for transporting fresh plants using a vacuum cooling device and a container having a gas-selective permeable membrane has been proposed. An example of a conventionally proposed container for transporting fresh plants and a transport method using the container will be described below.

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. As shown in FIG. 4, the vacuum container 1 is equipped with an exhaust port 5 provided with an exhaust valve 4, an opening/closing door 6, and a gas inlet 7 for suppressing breathing of fresh plants. A connection port 8 of a vacuum cooling device 3 mounted on the container 2 is connected to the transport container 2, and the transport container 9 is taken in and taken out by opening and closing the opening/closing door 6.

[0004] Further, the gas inlet 7 is provided with valves 10a and 1.
A carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 and a nitrogen gas cylinder 12 are connected through 0b and 10c, and by opening the valve 10a and adjusting the opening degrees of the valves 10b and 10c, a mixed gas of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas at an arbitrary mixing ratio is created in a vacuum. It is adapted to be introduced into the container 1.

The vacuum cooling device 3 includes a cold trap 13 connected to a connection port 8 and a vacuum pump 15 connected to the trap 13 via a valve 14. The heat exchanger of the cold trap 13 is powered by a power source 16 such as a battery. 17
A refrigerator 18 and a vacuum pump 15 that circulate refrigerant are driven.

Further, 19 is a drain valve for the cold trap 13. The transport container 9 has a vent 21 covered with a gas-selective permeable membrane 20 such as polyethylene, and an opening/closing door 2.
It has 2.

The operation of the container for transporting fresh plants constructed as described above will be explained below. First, a plurality of vacuum containers 1 and transport containers 9 are arranged in the necessary number at a harvesting area for fresh plants, and when vegetables, fruits, etc. are harvested, they are packed in boxes and placed in the transport containers. When the car 2 equipped with the vacuum cooling device 3 visits the vacuum container 1, the vacuum cooling device 3 is connected to the exhaust port 5 of the vacuum container 1, and the transportation container 9 containing fresh plants is transferred to the vacuum container 1. 1, and the vacuum pump 15 and cold trap 13 are operated in sequence.

[0008] As a result, the inside of the vacuum container 1 and the container 9 are evacuated, and the ethylene gas that ages and ripens the fresh plants is eliminated, and the moisture from the fresh plants evaporates, lowering the 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 inlet 7 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 20 provided at the vent 21 of the container 9, carbon dioxide gas inside the container 9 is exhausted and oxygen from the outside is introduced. Since the concentration of carbon dioxide gas is kept constant, fresh plants can be transported to the market while maintaining their freshness without causing carbon dioxide damage during transportation.

0010

However, in the above-described 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 in the vent 21 keeps the mixed gas of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas introduced into the container 9 at a given mixing ratio constant. CA (controlled at
Mosphere) Since it is stored in a storage state, its water vapor permeability is poor.

[0011] Therefore, when vegetables are stored, the inside of the container 9 becomes overhumid, and the cardboard boxes in which they are stored become soft due to moisture, and leafy and stem vegetables that are sensitive to water, such as asparagus and Chinese chrysanthemums, become stuffy. occurs and quality deteriorates. In addition, due to the high humidity inside the container 9, various bacteria tend to grow and become unsanitary and smelly. 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.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a transportation container with a cooling function, eliminates the need for a special low-temperature transport vehicle for low-temperature transport, and allows appropriate release of water vapor transpiring from vegetables. Keep the humidity inside the container suitable for vegetables,
In addition, ozone prevents the growth of bacteria, deodorizes them, and decomposes ethylene gas emitted from fresh plants, thereby creating a container for transporting fresh plants such as vegetables and fruits without deteriorating their quality. The purpose is to provide.

[0013]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the container for transporting fresh plants of the present invention provides an upper space in a space formed by an inner box and an insulating box within a double-structured insulating box. A ventilation hole with a moisture permeable membrane is placed on the top of the inner box, and an ozone generating electrode, ethylene adsorbent and ozone are placed in the back space formed by the inner box and the insulation box. It is equipped with an ethylene decomposition device using a decomposition catalyst.

[0014]

[Function] With this configuration, when fresh plants such as vegetables are stored in the container, the inside of the inner box is indirectly cooled from the surroundings by the cold storage material, and the water vapor partial pressure difference between the inside of the inner box and the outside space is reduced. Using this method, excess water vapor and ethylene gas evaporating from vegetables, etc. are gradually permeated through a vent hole with a moisture-permeable membrane provided in the inner box.

[0015] Then, the inside of the inner box is maintained at an appropriate humidity,
Furthermore, by decomposing ethylene gas emitted from fresh plants with ozone without allowing the ozone generated by an ozone generator to enter the container, soft fresh plants such as vegetables, fruits, and cut flowers can be easily freshened. can be transported while retaining the

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a container 23 for transporting fresh plants according to the present invention, in which 24 is an insulating box, 25 is an inner box, 26 is a cold storage material placed on the top of the insulating box, 27 is a moisture permeable membrane module. The heat insulating box 24 consists of a stainless steel panel 24a and a heat insulating material 24b made by injecting and foaming hard urethane into the hollow part of the panel 24a, 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 25, 29 is a drain hole, 29a is a drain cap that covers the drain hole, and 30 is a stainless steel 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, an ethylene decomposition device 33 is disposed in the back space of the insulation box 24 and the inner box 25, and the inner box 25 is
Clean air from which ethylene has been removed is allowed to flow into the tank.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the ethylene decomposition apparatus 33, in which 35 is a casing made of stainless steel, 35a is a cold air intake port, 35b is a discharge port, 36 is an ozone generation electrode, and 37 is an ozone generation electrode. A support frame for fixing the 3
8 is a high voltage generator that applies a high voltage to the ozone generating electrode 36; 39 is a blowing fan that causes clean air from which ethylene has been removed to flow into the inner box 25; 40 is a fan drive motor; and 41 is a fan that blows air smoothly. 42 is a power source such as a battery or storage battery, and 43 is a titania-silica-based ozone decomposition catalyst provided between the ozone generating electrode 36 and the blowing fan 39.

[0020] Reference numeral 44 is an ethylene adsorbent made of a physical adsorbent such as activated carbon, which is disposed on the upwind side of the ozone decomposition catalyst. The cold storage material 26 is removable and is previously frozen in a freezer (not shown) before the transport container 23 is used.

The operation of the container for transporting fresh plants constructed as described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

First, when the harvested fresh plants A are stored in the transport container 23, the inside of the inner box 25 becomes highly humid due to moisture that evaporates due to the respiration and transpiration of the fresh plants A. is maintained. The moisture above the saturated humidity is removed by a membrane module 27 provided on the top surface of the inner box 25.
The moisture gradually permeates from the inside to the frozen cold storage material 26, which serves as a cooling source, and the interior of the inner box 25 can be maintained at a high humidity (80 to 95% RH) suitable for fresh plants A such as vegetables. .

Furthermore, although the inner box 25 has a sealed structure, as mentioned above, moisture exceeding the saturated humidity escapes from the membrane module 27 due to the water vapor partial pressure difference inside and outside the inner box 25.
Condensed water does not adhere to the top surface of the inner box 25, and damage to soft fresh plants such as spinach and asparagus due to stuffiness caused by dripping of condensed water that occurs when the container is simply sealed can be prevented. 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 25.
It can be transported in a fresh state without being dried.

Furthermore, when the battery-driven ethylene decomposition device 33 is turned on and driven during transportation, the fresh plants A (
Ethylene gas discharged from vegetables, fruits, flowers) permeates through the moisture permeable membrane 27a and enters the ethylene decomposition device 33.
The ethylene adsorbent 44 adsorbs the ethylene adsorbent. The ethylene gas adsorbed here is efficiently decomposed by the air ozonized by the ozone generating electrode 36 on the windward side. Therefore, the ethylene adsorbent 44 is constantly regenerated and does not need to be replaced.

[0025] Excess ozone is decomposed into oxygen by the ozone decomposition catalyst 43, and clean air is returned to the inner box 25 by the blow-off fan 39, so that ozone is prevented from entering the inner box 25. It is safe because people are not exposed to ozone when the door 30 of the container is opened. In addition, due to the action of ozone, container 2
The air inside 3 is sterilized and deodorized.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the insulation box 2
2 has a double structure, a cold storage material 26 is provided in the upper space, a moisture permeable membrane module 27 is provided on the top surface of the inner box 25, and an ethylene decomposition device 33 is provided in the back space. The fresh plants A stored in the container are kept at moderately high humidity and low temperature without becoming stuffy, and ethylene gas, which has aging and ripening effects, is efficiently decomposed using an ethylene adsorbent and ozone. Category A can be stored and transported in a fresh state.

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, and can be easily transported by an ordinary truck. Since a vacuum container 1 and a vacuum cooling device 3 are not required, transportation can be carried out at low cost. the current,
In many production areas of fresh plants that require pre-cooling (asparagus, lettuce, spinach, etc.), vacuum pre-cooling equipment or differential pressure pre-cooling equipment is installed in the production area, and fresh plants after pre-cooling are transported to the transport container 23. Freshness can be maintained by transporting the food.

The moisture-permeable membrane 27a allows water vapor to pass through it well, whereas the gas-selective permeable membrane 20 of the conventional example has a CA
Due to the use of a membrane material (such as polyethylene) for the storage atmosphere, the water vapor permeability is generally lower than that of the moisture permeable membrane 27a.
It's much worse than that. Therefore, in the conventional example, the humidity is too high and stuffiness occurs, but in the shipping container 23, stuffiness hardly occurs.

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

[0030]

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention has a heat insulating box with a double structure, an inner box with an open front side on the door side, and a cold storage material in the upper space formed by the heat 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 arranged on the top surface of the inner box, and a membrane module having a moisture permeable membrane made of a thin film such as polydimethylsiloxane is arranged on the top surface of the inner box. By installing an ethylene decomposition device equipped with an ozone generating electrode, an ethylene adsorbent, an ozone decomposition catalyst, and a blowing fan,
While keeping the inside of the container at a low temperature and moderately high humidity, ethylene gas can be decomposed safely without releasing ozone into the container, and by using an ethylene adsorbent and ozone in combination, ethylene gas can be decomposed reliably. Furthermore, the air inside the container can be sterilized and deodorized.

[0031] Therefore, fresh plants (vegetables, fruits, flowers)
can be transported in fresh and hygienic conditions. Furthermore, the ethylene adsorbent does not need to be replaced since it is constantly regenerated by ozone.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a container for transporting fresh plants according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Enlarged cross-sectional view showing the ethylene cracking device in Figure 1

[Figure 3] Schematic diagram showing the conventional method of transporting fresh plants

[Figure 4]
Cross-sectional view showing the operating state of a conventional embodiment

[Explanation of symbols]

23 Shipping container 24 Insulation box 25 Inner box 26 Cold storage material 27 Membrane module 27a Moisture permeable membrane 33 Ethylene decomposition equipment 36 Ozone generation electrode 39 Bubble fan 43 Ozone decomposition catalyst 44 Ethylene adsorbent

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: Consisting of a heat insulating box with an opening/closing door, the heat insulating box has a double structure and has an inner box with an open front surface on the door side, and an upper space formed by the heat insulating box and the inner box is used for storing food. A cooling material is provided, a membrane module having a moisture-permeable membrane made of a thin film of polydimethylsiloxane or the like is provided on the top surface of the inner box, and a wind blower is provided in the back space formed by the heat insulating box and the inner box. A container for transporting fresh plants equipped with an ethylene decomposition device that includes an ozone generating electrode, an ethylene adsorbent, an ozone decomposition catalyst, and a blow-off fan in order from the top.