Apples
CA, ULO, and DCA storage for long-season cultivars; the core application worldwide.
Controlled Atmosphere Storage
Preserve produce quality long after harvest with engineered CA, ULO, and DCA storage
CSDS designs, engineers, and commissions Controlled Atmosphere rooms for apple, pear, berry, kiwi, stone-fruit, cabbage, onion, and specialty produce operators. Refrigeration, gas-tight construction, O₂ and CO₂ regulation, ethylene management, and 24/7 monitoring are coordinated as one system — so firmness, flavour, and market quality hold through a multi-month storage campaign.
O₂
Controlled from 21% down to <1%
CO₂
Scrubbed and held at crop-specific setpoint
C₂H₄
Ethylene removed or monitored at ppb level
24/7
Remote monitoring and alarm response
How CA Storage Works
Refrigeration alone is not enough for long-term produce quality
Fresh fruit and vegetables keep respiring after harvest — consuming O₂, releasing CO₂, and producing ethylene that accelerates ripening. Conventional cold storage slows these reactions, but does not stop them. Controlled Atmosphere storage pairs refrigeration with active regulation of the gas composition inside a gas-tight room, dramatically slowing respiration so produce can be marketed months later at near-harvest quality.
Gas-tight Thermal Envelope
The room itself has to hold gas, not just cold. We engineer insulated metal panel layouts, sealed floors, CA-rated doors, pressure relief, and measurement penetrations so the atmosphere inside stays stable once it is pulled down.
Oxygen Reduction
A VSA or PSA nitrogen generator pulls oxygen from around 21% down to the product-specific setpoint, typically 2–3% for CA, 1–1.5% for ULO, and sub-1% for DCA apple storage.
CO₂ Scrubbing
Respiration keeps adding CO₂ to the room. A carbon-based scrubber cycles room air through adsorption beds and regenerates automatically, holding CO₂ at the crop-specific setpoint without manual intervention.
Ethylene & Humidity Management
For ethylene-sensitive crops such as kiwi, we add a catalytic ethylene converter and, where required, a ppb-level ethylene analyzer. Humidity is held high to prevent mass loss without creating free moisture on fruit surfaces.
Climate Control & Data
A dedicated CA controller (Auto Store–class) coordinates refrigeration, gas generation, scrubbing, ethylene, and humidity while logging every parameter to the cloud and the operator app for review and alarming.
Monitoring & Service
Remote diagnostics, weekly quality reports, and 24/7 alarm response over phone and messaging keep the rooms on target through the entire storage season.
CA vs ULO vs DCA
Three levels of atmosphere control — matched to the crop and the length of storage
CA — Controlled Atmosphere
- Oxygen
- ≈ 2–3% O₂
- CO₂
- Crop-specific (1–5% CO₂)
General long-term storage of apples, pears, cabbage, and vegetables where moderate O₂ reduction is enough to hold firmness and colour through winter and spring markets.
ULO — Ultra-Low Oxygen
- Oxygen
- ≈ 1–1.5% O₂
- CO₂
- Tight CO₂ control
Premium apple and pear cultivars requiring extended storage — typically six to ten months — where ULO improves firmness and reduces superficial scald risk versus standard CA.
DCA — Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere
- Oxygen
- < 1% O₂, dynamically adjusted
- CO₂
- Tight CO₂ control
High-value apple storage. Oxygen is driven just above the fruit’s anaerobic fermentation threshold and adjusted dynamically using fluorescence, ethanol, or respiratory quotient signals — delivering the best available quality retention when executed properly.
Crops We Store
Product-specific setpoints and system sizing
CA setpoints, pull-down time, ethylene sensitivity, and humidity targets vary significantly by crop and cultivar. We tune room specification and controller logic to the actual produce being stored.
Pears
ULO storage with careful CO₂ and ethylene management to avoid core browning.
Blueberries & Red Berries
High-CO₂ CA in pallet-bag (Pallistore) or full-room configurations for extended shelf life.
Kiwi
CA with ethylene converters and ppb-level ethylene monitoring for long programs.
Cherries, Peaches, Apricots, Plums
Short- to mid-term CA programs tuned to stone-fruit physiology.
Pomegranate & Mango
CA storage to extend export and off-season market windows.
Grapes
Cold chain and CA storage for table-grape programs.
Cabbage & Vegetables
CA for cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and similar long-store vegetables.
Onions, Potatoes, Carrots, Beetroot
Bulk ventilated cold storage integrated alongside CA rooms on multi-product sites.
Adjacent Applications
Low-oxygen engineering beyond produce
The same core technology — reliable oxygen reduction inside a sealed, monitored space — supports a handful of adjacent markets we can scope on request.
Oxygen-Reduction Fire Prevention
Hypoxic atmospheres in archives, server rooms, cold stores, and high-value warehouses where traditional suppression is not acceptable.
High-Altitude / Hypoxic Training
Engineered low-oxygen environments for athletic performance training and acclimatization rooms.
CATT — Controlled Atmosphere Temperature Treatment
Chemical-free insect disinfestation of stored produce by combining controlled atmosphere with precise temperature cycling.
Planning a CA, ULO, or DCA room?
Send us the crop, tonnage, and site situation. We will scope the right envelope, refrigeration, and gas-handling package and walk you through the trade-offs before anything gets locked in.