Identifying temperature breaks in the export cold chain of navel oranges: A Western Cape case

Research shows that significant volumes of food produced globally is wasted due to supply chain failures from farm to retail. In addition, the category of fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers has the highest loss and wastage rate of any food per annum. Temperature has the greatest influence on fresh-produce deterioration rates and potential market life. Temperature breaks that occur in the cold chain result in financial losses due to quality loss issues and deviation from export protocols as well as a loss in market opportunity. This article presents a case study on navel oranges exported from Citrusdal in the Western Cape, South Africa to the United States of America. The United States of America is a steri-market, which means citrus fruits shipped to their ports must be exported at sub-zero temperatures for phytosanitary purposes. The procedure is known as cold sterilisation treatment. The likelihood of temperature breaks occurring in a vital industry in the economy prompted further investigation. The article aims to highlight the importance of the cold chain, from the citrus farms to the port of destination, by discussing trial shipments conducted on navel oranges. The results showed that temperature spikes and temperature breaks do occur along the navel orange export cold chain from the orchards until the navels are loaded onto reefer vessels. The results also showed that no temperature breaks are experienced once the navels are loaded on-board the reefer vessels. The research benefits the South African fruit industry by identifying the need for continuous improvement of the cold chain, which would assist in minimising temperature breaks.