JPH05178375A - Transport container for perishable plants - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transport perishable plants in a fresh condition through a simple means by a method wherein the perishable plants (vegetables, fruit and flowers) are maintained at the low temperature and high humidity appropriate to keep them fresh without using a special low temperature transport vehicle and a large-scale equipment and by producing an electric field of high voltage in a transport container. CONSTITUTION:A heat insulating case 24 is of a double wall structure and provided with a cold insulating material 26 in an upper space defined by the heat insulating case 24 and an inner case 25 and with a moisture adjusting plate 27 consisting of a hydrophilic, porous sintered body on the top panel of the inner case 25. The heat insulating case 24 is further provided in its interior with a high voltage generating device 33, a needle electrode 34 and a plate electrode 36 opposite to the needle electrode 34.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

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

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as a method for transporting fresh plants such as vegetables, flowers and fruits in a fresh state, JP-A-64-70 has been proposed.
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 transportation 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 denotes a plurality of vacuum vessels dispersedly arranged in a harvesting place of fresh plants, and 2 denotes an automobile in which a vacuum cooling device 3 is mounted and each vacuum vessel 1 is circulated. As shown in FIG. 4, the vacuum container 1 is provided with an exhaust port 5 provided with an exhaust valve 4, an opening / closing door 6 and a gas introduction port 7 of a gas for suppressing respiration of fresh plants. The connection port 8 of the vacuum cooling device 3 mounted on the device 2 is connected, the opening / closing door 6 is opened and closed, and the transportation container 9 is put in and taken out.

Further, the gas inlet 7 has valves 10a, 1
The carbon dioxide gas cylinder 11 and the nitrogen gas cylinder 12 are connected through 0b and 10c, and the valve 10a is opened and the opening degree of the valves 10b and 10c is adjusted so that the mixed gas of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas at an arbitrary mixing ratio is vacuumed. It is designed to be introduced into the container 1.

The vacuum cooling device 3 comprises a cold trap 13 connected to the connection port 8 and a vacuum pump 15 connected to the trap 13 via a valve 14, and heat exchange of the cold trap 13 by a power source 16 such as a battery. Bowl 1
The refrigerator 18 which circulates the refrigerant to 7 and the vacuum pump 15 are driven.

Reference numeral 19 is a drain valve of the cold trap 13. The shipping container 9 includes a vent 21 provided with a gas selective permeable membrane 20 such as polyethylene and an opening / closing door 2.
Have two.

The operation of the fresh plant transportation container configured as described above will be described below.
First, a plurality of the vacuum containers 1 and the transportation containers 9 are arranged in a necessary number in a fresh plant harvesting area, and when vegetables and fruits are harvested, they are boxed and placed in the transportation container. When the automobile 2 equipped with the vacuum cooling device 3 circulates in 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 the fresh plants is placed in the vacuum container 1. 1, and the vacuum pump 15 and the cold trap 13 are sequentially operated.

As a result, the insides of the vacuum container 1 and the container 9 are evacuated, ethylene gas that causes aging and ripening of the fresh plants is removed, and water is evaporated from the fresh plants to lower the temperature and vacuum-cooled. .. After this vacuum cooling, a mixed gas of carbon dioxide gas and nitrogen gas having an arbitrary mixing ratio is introduced into the vacuum container 1 from the gas introduction port 7 to bring it to atmospheric pressure, and the container 9 is transported at room temperature or low temperature.

During this transportation, carbon dioxide gas inside the container 9 is discharged and oxygen outside is introduced by the action of the gas-selective permeable membrane 20 provided in the vent hole 21 of the container 9, and inside the container 9. Since the carbon dioxide concentration in the plant was kept constant, it was possible to transport it to the market while maintaining its freshness without causing carbon dioxide damage to fresh plants during transportation.

[0011]

However, in the above-described structure and method, since the shipping container 9 does not have a cooling device, a cryogenic transport vehicle is required for low temperature transportation. Further, the transportation container 9 is a closed system, and the gas-selective permeable membrane 20 provided in the vent hole 21 keeps the mixed gas of the carbon dioxide gas and the nitrogen gas introduced into the container 9 at an arbitrary mixing ratio constant. CA (controlled atm)
Since it is in a storage state, it has poor water vapor permeability.

Therefore, when vegetables are stored, the inside of the container 9 becomes over-humidified, and the stored cardboard box becomes soft due to wetting, and asparagus, chrysanthemum, and other leafy vegetables that are not susceptible to wetting are stuffy. Occurs and the quality deteriorates. In addition, due to the high humidity inside the container 9, various bacteria are easily proliferated and become unsanitary and odorous. Moreover, the shipping container 9 is very heavy and cumbersome to handle because it is a pressure resistant container. The container and method for transporting fresh plants that have been proposed hitherto have the above problems.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a shipping container with a cooling function, does not require a special low temperature transportation vehicle for low temperature transportation, and appropriately escapes water vapor evaporating from vegetables. Keep the humidity in the container suitable for vegetables,
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container for transporting fresh plants, which transports fresh plants such as vegetables and fruits without deteriorating the quality by subjecting them to an electric field treatment.

[0014]

In order to achieve this object, a fresh plant transportation container of the present invention is a regenerator material in the upper space of a space formed by an inner box and an inner wall of the heat insulating box. And a ventilation port having a humidity control plate made of a hydrophilic porous sintered body on the top surface of the inner box, and further a high voltage generator, needle electrodes and needle electrodes in the heat insulating box. And a flat plate electrode facing each other.

Further, the humidity control plate is constituted by welding a hydrophilic porous sintered body and fibers.

[0016]

The fresh plant transportation container of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and when fresh plants such as vegetables are stored in the container, the inside of the inner box is indirectly cooled by the cool storage material, Utilizing the difference in water vapor partial pressure between the inside and outside space of the inner box, the excess water vapor evaporating from vegetables etc. is gradually permeated through the vent having the moisture permeable membrane provided in the inner box to allow the inside of the inner box to pass through. By maintaining an appropriate humidity and further treating it with an electric field, transpiration and spoilage can be suppressed, and weak fresh plants such as vegetables, fruits and cut flowers can be easily transported while maintaining their freshness.

Further, by constructing the humidity control plate by welding the hydrophilic porous sintered body and the fibers, the durability of the humidity control plate can be improved without impairing the humidity control performance. It is a thing.

[0018]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a 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, and 26 is a regenerator material arranged on the top surface of the insulating box. 27 is a humidity control plate. The heat insulating box 24 comprises a panel 24a made of stainless steel and a heat insulating material 24b in which hard urethane is injected and foamed in the hollow portion of the panel 24a, and the top surface of the inner box 25 has a humidity control plate 27. The humidity control plate 27 is a porous sintered body 27 made of polyolefin plastic and subjected to hydrophilic treatment.
It is composed of a flat plate 27b made of plastic and having an opening for supporting it.

Further, 28 is a fan for circulating the cool air around the inner box 25, 29 is a drain hole, 29a is a drain cap which covers the drain hole, 30 is a panel 30a made of stainless steel and a urethane foam heat insulating material 30b. Is a door, 31 is a handle, and 32 is an underframe having a fork insertion hole 32a of a forklift.

Further, a high voltage generator 33 is arranged on the top surface of the heat insulation box 24, and a needle electrode 34 is provided at the center of the top surface of the inner box 25. The high voltage generator 33 and the needle electrode 34
Are connected by a high voltage line 35. The bottom surface of the inner box 25 is a flat plate electrode 36 made of stainless steel or the like. Reference numeral 37 is a power cord of the high voltage generator 33, 38 is a ground wire of the high voltage generator 33, and 39 is a ground wire of the plate electrode 36.

The regenerator material 26 is detachable and is mounted in the container 23 by freezing it in a freezer (not shown) before using the shipping container 23.

The operation of the fresh plant transportation container configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the harvested fresh plants A are stored in the transportation container 23, the humidity inside the inner box 25 is high due to the water vaporized by the breathing action and transpiration action of the fresh plants A. Kept in. Then, moisture having a saturated humidity or higher is once absorbed by the porous sintered body 27a of the humidity control plate 27 provided on the top surface of the inner box 25 and then gradually flows to the side of the frozen regenerator material 26 serving as a cooling source. The inner box 25 is permeable to moisture and has a high humidity (80 to 95%) suitable for fresh plants A such as vegetables.
RH).

Further, although the inner box 25 has a closed structure, as described above, moisture above the saturated humidity is absorbed by the porous sintered body 27a of the humidity control plate 27, so that dew condensation occurs on the top surface of the inner box 25. Since water does not adhere, it is possible to prevent damage to soft fresh plants such as spinach and asparagus caused by dripping of dew condensation water that occurs when the container is simply closed. Further, the transportation container 23 has a double structure, and the cold air can indirectly cool the fresh plant A without directly entering the inner box 25, so that it is transported in a fresh state without being dried. be able to.

When the high voltage generator 33 is connected to a battery power source (not shown) such as a truck during transportation, electromagnetic waves are generated from the needle electrodes 34, and the fresh plants A are subjected to an electric field treatment, so that the fresh plants A The transpiration effect and decay of the melon are suppressed. Further, such an electric field treatment may be performed by a method of treating the electric field for a suitable time at the transportation base before loading the transportation container 23 on the truck. The high voltage generator 33 may be DC or AC.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the heat insulating box 2
2 has a double structure, the regenerator material 26 is arranged in the upper space, the humidity control plate 27 is provided on the top surface of the inner box 25, and the high voltage generator 33, the needle electrode 34, and the flat plate electrode are provided in the heat insulating box 22. By providing 36, fresh plants A stored in the inner box 25
The fresh plant A can be stored and transported hygienically in a fresh state, since it keeps at an appropriate high humidity and low temperature without causing stuffiness, and suppresses the transpiration action and decay of the fresh plant A ( For keeping freshness of fruits and vegetables by electric field treatment, food distribution technology vol. 19, no. 2, p62
~ P64, 1990 etc.).

Therefore, the transportation container 23 does not require a special truck for low temperature transportation unlike the transportation method using the transportation container 9 which has been conventionally proposed, and can be easily transported by an ordinary truck. In addition, since the vacuum container 1 and the vacuum cooling device 3 are unnecessary, it can be transported at low cost. Current,
In many production areas of fresh plants (asparagus, lettuce, spinach, etc.) that require precooling, a vacuum precooling device or a differential pressure precooling device is installed in the production area. If it is shipped in, it will be more fresh.

Then, the hydrophilic porous sintered body 27a
Is water vapor permeable, whereas the conventional gas-selective permeable membrane 20 uses a membrane material (such as polyethylene) for making a CA storage atmosphere. It is considerably worse than the sintered body 27a. Therefore, in the conventional example, the humidity becomes too high and stuffiness occurs, but stuffiness hardly occurs in the shipping container 23.

Further, since the fruits and vegetables subjected to the electric field can retain their freshness for several days even in the normal temperature range, it is possible to remove the cold storage material 26 and transport it in a light weight in seasons other than midsummer.

(Embodiment 2) Next, regarding the second embodiment,
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the humidity control plate 40 of the fresh plant transportation container according to the second embodiment.
40a is a hydrophilic porous sintered body made of polyolefin plastic, 40b is a fiber, and 40c is a plastic support. The fiber 40b is welded to one surface of the hydrophilic porous sintered body 40a by hot pressing or the like, and the fiber surface and the support 40c are fixed by welding or adhesion to form the humidity control plate 40. is doing. The configuration other than this humidity control plate 40 is the same as that in FIG.

The operation of the fresh plant transportation container configured as described above will be described below. The structure other than the humidity control plate 40 is the same as that of FIG.

The hydrophilic porous sintered body 40a is brittle and easily cracked.
Hydrophilic porous sintered body 40 by being reinforced with
Impact resistance is improved without impairing the hygroscopicity and moisture permeability of a, and the life of the humidity control plate 40 can be extended. In addition, the fiber 40b also improves the bonding strength by welding the porous sintered body 40a and the support 40c.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an insulating box having an opening / closing door, an inner wall of the insulating box and a space provided inside the insulating box, the front side of which is open, and the insulating box. A cool storage material provided in the upper space formed by the inner box, a humidity control plate made of a hydrophilic porous sintered body arranged in the top opening of the inner box, and a high voltage generated in the heat insulating box By providing the device, the needle-shaped electrode, and the flat plate electrode facing the needle-shaped electrode, the inside of the container can be kept at a low temperature and at an appropriate high humidity, and the transpiration action and spoilage of fresh plants can be suppressed.

Therefore, fresh plants (vegetables, fruits, flowers)
Can be transported in fresh condition easily.

Further, it is possible to omit labor and large-scale equipment as compared with the conventionally proposed transportation method, and it is possible to transport fresh plants freshly and economically easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a humidity control plate of a container for transporting fresh plants according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional method for transporting fresh plants.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an operating state of a conventional embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 23 Transport Container 24 Insulation Box 25 Inner Box 26 Cooling Material 27 Humidity Control Plate 33 High Voltage Generator 34 Needle Electrode 36 Plate Electrode

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location B65D 88/12 W 6916-3E

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heat-insulating box having an opening / closing door, an inner box having a heat-insulating box inner wall and a space provided inside the heat-insulating box and having a door-side front surface opened, and an upper space formed by the heat-insulating box and the inner box. A regenerator material, a humidity control plate made of a hydrophilic porous sintered body disposed in the top opening of the inner box, a high voltage generator, a needle electrode and the needle-shaped electrode in the heat insulating box. A container for transporting fresh plants provided with an electrode and a flat plate electrode facing the electrode. 2. The container for transporting fresh plants according to claim 1, wherein the humidity control plate is obtained by welding a hydrophilic porous sintered body and fibers.