THE POLYETHYLENE PALLET COVER PLUS DIFFUSION WINDOW CA SYSTEM 



R.M. Smock and G.D. Blanpied 

 Dept. of Pomology, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y. 



1969 issue of Fruit Notes 



(Editors' note: In the March-April 



reference was made to an unusual CA system developed in 

 ("What's New With CA Storage"). - The following article 

 printed here to provide more 



France 

 is re- 

 information about this system.) 



P. Marcellin and J. Leteinturier of the National Center for 

 Scientific Research at Bellvue, France have patented 2 ingenious 

 modifications for CA storage of fruits and vegetables (1). One 



1) 



system involves the use 

 let cover fitted with a 

 siloane on nylon cloth) 

 This diffusion area 

 provides for dif- 

 ferential move- 

 ment of carbon di- 

 oxide and oxygen. 

 Carbon dioxide per- 

 meabi 1 i ty is about 

 6 times that of O2. 



We "field 

 tested" the pallet 

 cover plus diffu- 

 sion window with 

 Mcintosh apples. 

 Field heat was re- 

 moved to 38 F and 

 then 36 boxes of 

 apples were sealed 

 in the pallet cover, 

 The atmosphere was 

 analyzed daily ex- 

 cept for Sundays . 

 The apples were 

 held at 38°F for 

 48 days at the 

 start of the tri al . 

 Figure 2 shows that 

 the oxygen dropped 

 to 5% in 12 days 

 and 3% in 22 days. 

 The COp rose to 5% 

 in 7 days. Both 

 gases then remained 

 remarkably con- 

 stant during the 

 remainder of the 

 48 days. Now the 



of a heavy (120 micron) polyethylene pal- 

 silicone rubber elastomer (dimethyl poly- 

 is illustrated in Figure 1 



'wi ndow 



This 



■»-«->« 



Polyethylene 



closure 



Boxes 



jsion 

 window 



Pallet Gas sampling 



Fig 



Polyethylene pallet cover with diffu- 

 sion window. (From: Ulrich and Mar- 

 cellin. (NRS, Bellevue, France. 1968 



l)Supplied from France by Rhodia Inc . New York, New York 



