Let’s take a look to Bluezone, a technology that has demonstrated effectiveness in extending shelf life, reducing product loss and maintaining product quality.
Initially developed for the US Army, Bluezone technology was during 2014 subject to the necessary steps for being applied to commercial shipping. An achievement possible through a partnership between Primaira LLC, a Boston-based technology company, and Maersk Container Industry (MCI), the container manufacturing unit of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.
Bluezone is a patented technology that, thanks to extensive tests and trials, has shown efficient elimination of molds, fungi and bacteria, by using an ozone concentration 300 times higher than otherwise seen on the market, achieving the highest levels fresh preservation in a cost effective, efficient and reliable configuration.
MCI and Primaira have partnered to integrate the Bluezone into Star Cool containers, the refrigerated units manufactured by the danish transport operator. In the words of MCI chief commercial officer, Soren Leth Johannsen, this integration involves an enormous change in the market game.
The economic and environmental gains of converting today’s airfreight into reefer containers are possible thanks to the complementation of Bluezone with MCI’s well-known CA and AV+ systems (Controlled Atmosphere and Automatic Ventilation), increasing the geographical reach of containerized transport and preserving the quality of fruit and vegetables.
These milestones make reefer container owners feel enthusiastic. The director of refrigeration services at Seaboard Marine Ltd, Clyde Wingate, said: “The systems offered today in the market, for example using ozone, are often only temporary installed per shipment, meaning it is operationally cumbersome or the effect, due to a low ozone concentration, is undocumented. From a container owner’s perspective it is also a major concern that ozone by nature is aggressive when exposed on rubber, aluminum and copper.”
The Bluezone technology has also demonstrated its great value in stationary cold storage, a fact that witnessed by Keith Maggs, of Environmental Technologies Australia. Kiwi transport across Australia has been benefited from the Bluezone ethylene scrubbing and microbial reduction ability. Maggs remarks “the effectiveness of this technology to extend the shelf life and reduce shrinkage in the supply chain for kiwi».
Growers and Shippers: bluezone is a technology to ethylene and mold control, with no impact on the container or on container volume capacity. It enables to optimize ventilation without concern for ethylene or microbial build-up, becoming in a major advantage for sensitive products: longer shipping distance.
Hotel and Restaurants: for use in walk-in refrigeration, Bluezone extends shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables, by reducing mold, rot and waste; and maintaining low levels of ethylene so fruit does not spring. In addition, Bluezone eliminates odors and flavor transfer between items inside the walk-in cooler.
Flowers: the miniaturized Bluezone fits in the commercial or consumer refrigerator to maintain the flavor, texture and color, while reducing mold and bacteria formation. As many flowers and potted plants are highly sensitive to ethylene and microbes, Bluezone is able to keep cut flowers bright and fresh.
In resume, the Bluezone technology works by removing undesirable components from the atmosphere of refrigerated containers, thus maintaining the color, texture and taste of the fruits and vegetables for longer periods of time. The partnership between Primaira LLC and Maersk Container Industry becomes these technical achievements into outstanding benefits for consumers market and environment.
Nota publicada en la edición de Septiembre 2014 en la Revista Logistics Business, de Reino Unido. Click aquí para ver.
Por Lic. Gino Baldissare
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Toda la información difundida en este blog es exclusivamente a título personal. No es vinculante a las organizaciones y empresas en las que me desempeño o me he desempeñado.