Newspaper Article 1978 – First fruit from CA store

First fruit from CA store

The New Zealand Apple and Pear Board took the first fruit out of its controlled atmosphere store this week.

The store was filled with apples between March and May this year and they were maintained in a mixture of carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen.

Controlled atmosphere storage give the apples better flavour and crispness than apples stored in a normal cool store.

About 6000 cartons will be taken from the store and exported, through Auckland, to Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti.

Mr Tony Cross, the board’s Hawke’s Bay manager, said it was the first time fruit from a controlled atmosphere cool store had been exported. Previously apples from the board’s experimental CA stores had been sold in New Zealand.

Pictured are Bob Haronga and Ray Simon inspecting Red Delicious apples before they are packed for the Pacific Islands.