Smaller Tools, Bigger Questions: Rethinking CA Research for Industry Use

Author: Josh Kreft, Gas at Site

Tags: abandoned reefer trials, agricultural engineering, agriculture innovation, apple exports, applied science, CA research, CA rooms, chlorophyll fluorescence, CO2 control, Cold Chain, coldroom validation, commercial CA storage, commercial constraints, Controlled Atmosphere, DCA-CF, decision making, desiccator testing, distribution, dose-response, engineering challenge, engineering design, engineers researchers industry, ethylene monitoring, experimental design, failure modes, flammable compounds, Fruit Quality, gas dynamics, gas tightness, Hortgro, Horticulture, human-in-the-loop, Humidity Control, industrial validation, innovation pipeline, instrumentation, Janny bins, lab to field, large scale operations, leak detection, modelling, multi-scale testing, operator reliability, oxygen control, packhouse systems, pear exports, PHYLA facility, phytosanitary research, Pome Fruit, postharvest science, predictive modelling, process control, R&D scaling, refrigeration systems, research collaboration, research to industry, respiration rate, RQ, safety engineering, scale-up, sensor accuracy, shelf life, small scale experiments, storage risk, storage systems, system behaviour, system scaling, temperature control, theoretical dosing, TinyCARR, uniformity, validation pipeline, vapourisation

Publish Date: 2026-06-03

Keywords: CA research, controlled atmosphere, horticulture, pome fruit, apple exports, pear exports, cold chain, postharvest science, storage systems, phytosanitary research, Hortgro, agriculture innovation, R&D scaling, research to industry, lab to field, industrial validation, system scaling, engineering challenge, multi-scale testing, experimental design, dose-response, gas dynamics, oxygen control, CO2 control, ethylene monitoring, respiration rate, RQ, DCA-CF, chlorophyll fluorescence, humidity control, temperature control, leak detection, gas tightness, sensor accuracy, modelling, theoretical dosing, safety engineering, flammable compounds, vapourisation, refrigeration systems, CA rooms, PHYLA facility, TinyCARR, Janny bins, desiccator testing, coldroom validation, abandoned reefer trials, packhouse systems, commercial CA storage, fruit quality, storage risk, shelf life, uniformity, distribution, scale-up, small scale experiments, large scale operations, system behaviour, engineering design, instrumentation, predictive modelling, validation pipeline, failure modes, process control, operator reliability, decision making, commercial constraints, agricultural engineering, research collaboration, engineers researchers industry, human-in-the-loop, applied science, innovation pipeline

Rethinking CA research for industry use.

THE ROOM WE LIVE IN

~R16B in pome fruit exports; 52.2M apple + 22.3M pear cartons; ride on decisions made at this scale.

THE TWO-WAY SCALING PROBLEM

Research and industry differ mainly in scaling questions up or down.
Scaling down: can large commercial systems be accurately tested in small lab vessels?
Scaling up: do lab results still hold true in full industrial-scale systems?
Key challenge is maintaining accuracy, consistency, and safety across different scales.

THE SCALING LADDER

Scale ranges from commercial packhouse CA rooms to lab-level fruit containers.
1,200 m³: Commercial CA rooms handling ~400 tons of fruit.
24 m³: PHYLA research rooms for controlled CA experiments.
610 L: Janny bins for parallel cultivar treatment testing.
167 L: TinyCARR for single-lug experiments under different CA modes.
~6 L: Desiccators used for initial screening tests.
Overall, each scale enables progressively more controlled and detailed experimentation from industry to lab.

PHYLA: THE MIDDLE STEP

Hortgro’s Phytosanitary Research Facility uses 24 m³ CA rooms designed to mimic commercial conditions at a smaller scale.
The rooms are large enough to replicate real CA dynamics like pull-down, CO₂ build-up, and control behaviour.
Multiple rooms allow parallel testing of different gas treatments on the same cultivar and harvest.
They are designed for phytosanitary research with strict isolation, dosing, and safety controls.
This setup bridges research and industry by enabling controlled yet commercially relevant validation of results.

TINYCARR: ONE LUG, MANY CHALLENGES

A 167 L gastight container holds ~15 kg of fruit and enables controlled CA experiments.
It measures key physiological and storage responses: CA (O₂/CO₂ control), DCA-CF (chlorophyll fluorescence), RH, RQ, ethylene (C₂H₄), and respiration rates.
At this small scale, system limitations become critical.
Minor leaks that are irrelevant in large rooms can significantly affect results.
Maintaining realistic humidity and temperature conditions is difficult compared to commercial environments.
Low oxygen conditions create weak signals, making measurements more sensitive and harder to interpret.

FROM DESICCATOR TO COLDROOM

The engineering progression moves from lab-scale to real-world cold storage systems.
≈6 L desiccators are used for dose-response screening experiments.
20ft abandoned reefers provide proof-of-concept at semi-realistic scale.
≈25 m³ coldrooms enable industry-credible validation.
Each scale introduces new challenges in vapourisation and dosing behaviour.
Scaling requires theoretical modelling first, supported by analytical confirmation (e.g. GC and handheld measurements).
Safety becomes increasingly critical, especially due to flammable EF, requiring redesigned exposure, ventilation, and recovery procedures at each step.

EACH SCALE CHALLENGES DIFFERENTLY

Failure modes change depending on scale, and engineering connects them across systems.
Small scale: leaks, noise, and measurement errors dominate; sensor accuracy and environmental control (RH, temperature) are limiting factors.
Middle scale: research systems (PHYLA, Janny bins) bridge lab and industry; modelling and consistent instrumentation make results comparable and meaningful.
Full scale: challenges shift to uniformity, dosing consistency, safety re-validation, and highly reliable operator controls in real-world operations.

THE WORK ISN’T DONE.

It needs all three of us.

Successful work requires collaboration across three roles: engineers, researchers, and industry.
Engineers design and build the systems, model conditions, instrument trials, and manage scale-up risk.
Researchers define what success looks like through measurable outcomes like ACP, RQ, dose-response, quality, and storage performance.
Industry provides real-world inputs such as fruit, cultivars, constraints, and decision-making needs.
Together, they connect experimentation, validation, and practical application to solve real commercial problems.