Evaluation of a Modified Atmosphere Packaging System to Increase Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Shelf Life for Extended Military Supply Chains

摘要

This report documents the evaluation of a case level Modified Atmosphere Packaging System (MAPS) designed to extend product shelf life of military fresh fruit and vegetables (FF&V). Three key items - iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, and broccoli crowns - were tested in the Pacific Region Guam supply chain. Due to longer total distribution times and/or less frequent end customer deliveries, some military FF&V supply chains require 'extra' product shelf life than that provided by standard commercial product pack and supply chain procedures. Examples include: resupply of Navy platforms at sea; United States to Pacific Region surface supply chains; and deployment supply chains (e.g. Afghanistan and Iraq). Evaluation goals were to evaluate the potential benefits of the case level MAPS in terms of 'extra' product shelf life, higher product quality/freshness at consumption, and reduced supply chain product losses/discards as a function of product post harvest age. This report documents the test objectives and scope, data collection methods, and evaluation results, and provides conclusions and recommendations.