How does a banana travel?
When you sink your teeth into a sweet ripe banana you bought from your local supermarket you probably don’t think about the fact that the piece of fruit you are enjoying in some cases has travelled several weeks under very particular circumstances.
However, bananas are among the type of fruit that is very demanding to carry around the world and the massive export of the fruit from the southern to the northern hemisphere wouldn’t be possible at all without advanced reefer container technology.
Too warm, too cold
When bananas meant for export are picked, they are still green and inedible and how they are handled during the trip to their final destination is absolutely crucial. Research and experience dictate that the ideal temperature to keep the bananas in perfect shape is 14 degrees Celsius.
If the temperature deviates by as little as 0.5 degrees, problems quickly occur. Increasing heat will ignite the riping process way too early resulting in rotten fruit on arrival, creating an atmosphere that’s too cold will literally ‘kill’ the bananas and make them unable to ever move from the unripe green stage to the desired yellow sweetness.
Creating the perfect banana bed
The answer is the right technology. By natural respiration the bananas will absorb O2 and produce CO2. Maersk Line’s StarCare™ container effectively maintains and controls the correct levels of these gasses, by the use of advanced CA membrane technology. Auto-fresh air intake regulates oxygen levels for the optimum atmosphere, virtually creating ‘the perfect banana bed’ which allows the bananas to travel for as long as 50 days and still be entirely fresh on arrival.
From February 5 – 7, Maersk Line will be at Fruit Logistica in Berlin. Fruit Logistica is the leading international meeting place of the fresh produce trade. Meet our reefer experts in hall 25, stand B-08.
