TRANSPORT OF PRODUCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21328, 1 November 1932, Page 16

TRANSPORT OF PRODUCE

STORAGE AND PRESERVATION PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATIONS Four research stations in England and Wales have been investigating various aspects of the problems connected with the storage and preservation of meat., fruit and vegetables under grants made by the Empire Marketing Board and administered on its behalf by (he Ministry of Agriculture. A fact of particular importance to NewZealand is, that at the Cambridge Low Temperature Research Station, practical problems connected with the preparation and storage of beef, mutton, pork and bacon are being studied. The critical examination of the rapid-freezing process is also being continued. A large-scale experiment has confirmed the discovery that bacon of good quality can be made from frozen pork, which is now being sent to England in-increasing quantities from Australia and New Zealand. The transport of mild-cured, green bacon in the frozen condition from either New Zealand or Australia cannot, lio%vever, be carried out successfully by ordinary commercial methods; but other methods are being investigated at the station. Value of New Method Considerable progress has been made in tile practical application of gas-storago to fruits and vegetables. The new method of storage makes it possible for the Bz-itish grower to market his apples over a whole year. The preservation of fruits and vegetables by freezing has also been studied and, in many instances, has been shown to bo superior to the preservation attainable by canning. Difficulties, however, have sometimes arisen, and these are being investigated. Work on the rate of moisture evaporation from stored materials has been continued, with particular reference to eggs, cheeses and apples. Study of the raw materials of tin-plate used in canning has shown wide variations in the susceptibility of different sheets, or even different portions of the same sheet, of the steel base to attack of a given fruit acid. An attempt is, therefore, being made to discover the factors that have most influence on the steel base during manufacture. At the Ditton Laboratory, East Mailing, the efficiency of different cooling circuits for the storage of fruit was investigated. Experiments on the gas-storage of fruit are in progress. At the Biological Field Station, Slough, of the Imperial College of Science and Technology, work on the insects and fungi which infest stored products continues to be supported by the board. The main problems that are being studied are the reactions of living organisms to temperature and humidity conditions, and to grass inhibiting or deterring biological processes. Improved methods of fumigation have been suggested and introduced in practice. Advice and co-operation are being sought both by colonial departments of agriculture and by wharfingers, merchants and firms in the chemical industry. Funds have been provided by 'various firms for the investigation of insects attacking their products in store; this is especially so with tobacco investigations, for which the Southern Rhodesian Government has also provided funds. On account of the need for economy, the work has been reorganised to allow a steady programme of basic research work to be carried out; the survey and inspection work will, in future, be undertaken on a basis of repayment by the interests concerned. Important Facts At Long Ashton, the experiments on the effect of certain orchard factors on the storage qualities of fruit have been extended, and substantial progress is reported. The most important facts which have emerged are that, in assessing the effects of pre-storage factors on storage life, it is important to specify exactly the details of storago conditions; that the storage life of fruits (under any given set of storage conditions) is determined by tho interaction of orchard and other prestorago factors; that pre-storage factors not only affect the length of storage life, but may actually alter the form of breakdown that occurs. On the chemical side, facts have been ascertained concerning the contents of nitrogen, sugars and potash in fruits. In his Survey of Dairy Research, undertaken on behalf of the board, Sir William Dampier, recommended that work on the storage of milk and the ripening and storage of butter and cheese should be concentrated at the National Institute for Research in Dairying at Reading- A grant for the erection, at this institute, of a small low-temperature station was recommended by tho board in July, 1931, but the financial crisis has made it impossible for the board to implement this recommendation in the meantime.