Transport practices for strawberry

The transport of fresh products generally takes place in (refrigerated) trucks, reefer containers or by plane. Checks and proper loading are always important to maintain good (temperature) conditions for the product during transport. For strawberries, refrigerated transport is often necessary. Trucks and reefers can maintain a low temperature, but do not have enough cooling capacity to lower the product temperature. Therefore, products must be pre-cooled before entering the refrigerated truck or reefer. During transport and waiting periods, the load must be well covered to protect against dust, sun and rain. Careful driving and careful product handling is essential to prevent damage to products due to mechanical action.

Timely transport to the farm or packhouse is important. Photo by allamimages/Shutterstock.com

Timely transport is essential

Strawberries are packed on the farm or packhouse in close distance to the farm. Timely transport to the farm or packhouse with pre-cooling facility is necessary as quickly obtaining a low temperature is essential for the keeping quality of strawberry. Pre-cooling of the product, usually to a temperature between 0 and 1 ºC, is absolutely necessary before the product enters the refrigerated truck for further transport. Strawberries for distant (export) markets are shipped by air due to their limited shelf life. Foil laminated thermal blankets can be used to cover an entire pallet if cold chain temperature cannot be guaranteed, for example during transfer at the airport. Ideally, strawberries are transported to the final market on the day of picking.

Attention points for transporting strawberries

  1. Loading strawberries at the farm. Photo by WFBR

    Loading at the farm

    When collecting at the farm, the crates or other packages must be carefully stacked and tightened to ensure that they do not shift or fall over during transport. Ideally, the crates fit well between the sides of the truck. For larger trucks and for loads that do not fully occupy the truck floor, tightening must be done by placing (pallet-)edge protectors at the edges of a batch of stacked packages.
  2. Cold tunnels at the loading dock. Photo by ANDREY FEDORENKO/Shutterstock.com

    Loading after pre-cooling

    The loading must be realized preferably from a climate-controlled loading dock via “cold tunnels” into the truck or reefer. This prevents ambient air from entering the pre-cooled reefer container or truck or the climate-controlled loading dock. Aside from maintaining the strawberries at the desired low temperature, this is important in order to avoid condensation, which will occur when warm moisture-laden air enters the reefer container or truck. Higher humidity or condensation may encourage the growth moulds.
  3. Condensation may occur when the cold chain is broken. It is a risk for fungal attack. Photo by SJMPhotos/Shutterstock.com

    Temperature logging

    The cold chain should not be broken and is best contained in the range of 0 to 1 ºC. Lower or higher temperatures can easily result in loss of quality. Cooled strawberries that are re-warmed when the cold chain is broken, may have condensation on the fruit. This will increase their susceptibility to fungal decay. Good quality control during transport includes temperature logging.
  4. Sample fruit at arrival. Photo by WFBR

    Unloading at the place of destination

    Unload carefully to avoid handling damage. The pallets (or other packaging) with strawberries must be moved directly to a cold storage room. It is recommended to sample fruits for inspection at this point. Visual appearance of strawberries, but also of packaging and pallets can be documented by means of photos.