Comparison of Pallet Cover Systems to Maintain Strawberry Fruit Quality During Transport

The efficacy of several proprietary plastic pallet cover systems to maintain strawberry ( Fragaria ×ananassa ) fruit quality during commercial shipment was determined. ‘Albion’ fruit were harvested from farms near Watsonville, CA. Fruit in vented plastic clamshells were palletized and forced-air cooled to 33–35 °F. Different cover systems (CO 2 West, PEAK fresh , PrimePro, Tectrol) were placed over the pallets. Pads that released carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas were placed inside the CO 2 West cover. The Tectrol cover was sealed to the pallet base, a partial vacuum was applied, and pressurized CO 2 gas was injected inside. The systems other than Tectrol remained open at the base. Six separate shipments of palletized fruit were transported in refrigerated (32–39 °F) truck trailers to distribution centers in either Florida or Georgia in 2.3–4.7 days. CO 2 concentrations within pallets at the beginning and end of transport were highest (11% to 16%) in the sealed Tectrol system and relatively low (0.06% to 0.30%) in the open CO 2 West, PEAK fresh , and PrimePro cover systems. Relative to noncovered control fruit, which lost 0.8% fresh weight during shipment, the pallet covers reduced the transport-related weight loss by 38% to 52%. The incidence of fruit decay was low (1.0% to 1.4%) after transport but increased substantially following a 2-day shelf life at 68 °F. However, fruit from the Tectrol pallets exhibited significantly less decay (36%) after shelf life than the CO 2 West (39%), noncovered control (41%), PrimePro (42%), and PEAK fresh (43%) pallets. Fruit sensory quality was unaffected by the different pallet cover systems. Our findings show that transporting strawberries in the sealed Tectrol pallet cover system, in which CO 2 concentrations were elevated to 11% to 16%, was most effective in complementing current low temperature management practices to maintain fruit quality.