The objective of this study was to clarify the effects on quality when exporting small amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables by mixed loading. When exporting small amounts of multiple varieties of fruits and vegetables, it is essential to reduce transport costs by using reefer containers for mixed cargo. A lot of research has been conducted on the distribution and storage technology of fruits and vegetables. However, conditions and techniques have primarily been examined only for single items, and research on transporting mixed cargo has not been done. In this study, we used a new reefer container with only marginal internal temperature variability (set to 0°C), and exported fruits and vegetables by sea as a mixed cargo. Subsequently, the fruits and vegetables exported by sea were compared by sensory evaluation with those exported by air. Satsuma mandarins, onions, salad onions, Welsh onion leaf blades, and lettuces were almost the same quality when shipped by sea as by air without any specific treatment. Other items such as tatsois and Welsh onion stems required film, plastic bags, and other packaging to reduce fresh weight loss when exporting by sea. These results suggest that fruits and vegetables can be exported by sea with similar quality to that by air. However, it is necessary to consider the storage temperature, packaging material and conditions, and item selection.

Shipping containers are used globally for the domestic distribution and export of several products. In this study, we compared the efficacy of controlled atmosphere (CA) containers to reefer containers based on the quality of 41 fresh fruits and vegetables exported from Japan to Singapore. We used instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation to compare the quality of fruits and vegetables transported in these two container types. Thirteen types of produce showed higher quality in the CA container than in the reefer container. Two types of fruits deteriorated in flavor due to abnormal maturation under CA conditions. Six types of produce showed higher quality in the reefer containers than in the CA containers. The CA containers were particularly effective in improving the quality of leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and fresh legumes; thus, CA containers are excellent for exporting these types of produce. Practical applications:The export of fresh fruits and vegetables by CA containers is expanding year after year, but their operation is difficult because the optimal storage environment for fruits and vegetables varies from item to item. This study showed the effectiveness of CA containers in improving the quality of leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and fresh legumes during their export from Japan to Singapore. These findings would contribute to the expansion of exports using CA containers in the future.

Global agricultural exports are expected to increase in the future. Sea transportation facilitates the carrying of an incomparably large amount of cargo for a much lower cost than by air freight. However, sea transportation takes much longer and the produce quality is inferior to that transported by air. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop technologies to create a more suitable environment for sea transportation. For this reason, a method was devised in which all fruit and vegetables packaged for domestic distribution are wrapped from the outside of the package as additional packaging with a more versatile film, and an actual export demonstration using this method was conducted in this study. Namely, two sets of 28 different kinds of fruits and vegetables were prepared, one that was wrapped in additional packaging and the other with ordinary packaging. These sets were then exported from Japan's Shimizu Port to Singapore as mixed cargo. Following transportation, instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation were performed to compare the quality of the additionally packaged produce with that of the ordinarily packaged produce. This additional packaging greatly reduced the loss of fresh weight of Chinese cabbage, lettuce, cabbage and Japanese white radish. Moreover, the additional packaging reduced the drying of ‘Shine Muscat’ grape stems. However, some produce such as peaches deteriorated in quality due to slight changes in gas concentration. For many items, additional packaging can be a low‐cost option for maintaining quality when exporting fruits and vegetables packaged for routine domestic distribution.

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