July 2022 - 10

COLD STORAGE & CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE
SafePods offer peek into what's going on in CA rooms
Chris Koger
Managing Editor
Storage Control Systems' SafePods will
be hitting several milestones this fall as
apple growers fill controlled-atmosphere
rooms: 10 million bushels will have been
stored using the system, and the number
of units will break the 300 mark for the
first time.
At the same time, growers and
university researchers will be learning
more about the science of putting
Mother Nature on hold to guard against
apple disorders, browning, a shorter
marketing window and other hurdles to
bringing consumer-pleasing apples to
market, no matter what month it is.
To use the SafePods, CA operators
place four bushels of fruit from the
storage room into the unit, and it acts as
a smaller version of the storage room.
SafePods allow CA operators to monitor
the respiration rates of the fruit and
dial in optimal conditions - too much
oxygen leads to poor-quality fruit, and
too little causes the fruit to ferment. The
process is known as dynamic controlled
atmosphere (DCA).
Before DCA was more established,
apple varieties were stored according to
guidelines established by universities,
typically with 2.0%-2.5% oxygen.
" Now, research shows that using
lower oxygen levels, sometimes as low as
0.4% oxygen, can be an effective way to
control disorders like internal browning
and bitter pit, " said Madison Schaefer,
SafePod director at Storage Control
Systems (SCS), Sparta, Michigan.
Her father, SCS president Jim Schaefer,
said the system generates data that adds
another dimension third to storing fruit,
using oxygen and carbon dioxide levels
The SafePod system allows controlled-atmosphere operators to use the four bushels
inside the unit as a representation of the overall CA room. Benefits of an optimal
CA room environment include guarding against disorders, preventing browning and
ensuring the apples maintain freshness and flavor. Photos: Storage Control Systems
to create an optimal respiration rate.
He notes that as with many industries,
apple shippers are losing institutional
knowledge as CA operators retire.
" This respiration data allows a
seasoned CA operator to verify what he
has assumed and planned to store this
crop, but more importantly the younger
generation coming up the ranks have a
phone app they can glance at and then
get on with their day, " Jim Schaefer said.
Madison Schaefer said her generation
values having the real-time data available
through the app, but some companies
are fine with scanning her weekly
e-mail updates in which she details the
data points for each CA room with the
SafePod technology.
Conventional vs. Organic
Industry demand for the SafePods
is about evenly split between
conventional and organic, Madison
Schaefer said. Organic fruit shippers
Valves on each SafePod allows controlledatmosphere
room operators to manipulate
the environment for the four bushels of
apples or pears being monitored in the unit.
embrace the system because chemical
agents that halt the aging process in
storage - diphenylamine (DPA) and
1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) - are
not allowed for use on organic fruit.
For organic varieties that are
susceptible to quality issues during longterm
storage (Honeycrisp and Granny
Smiths are prone to soft scald), perfecting
a low-oxygen environment is critical.
See STORAGE, page 12
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Storage Control Systems President Jim
Schaefer, left, holds the patent for the
SafePod system, and SafePod co-inventor
David Bishop has the concept for the system
which explains how it gives controlledatmosphere
operators information on
optimal storage conditions for fruit.
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July 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2022
