ULO/CA storage

ULO or CA storage continues where regular storage technology stops. When most crops only need a lower temperature in order to extend the lifespan of fresh produce, other crops ask for more.

ULO rooms

ULO storage is designed to keep your produce fresh after harvesting as long as possible. This is due to the fact that some fruits can be stored longer if not only the temperature, but also the oxygen level is lowered, in so-called ULO rooms. The decay of fresh produce is connected to their breathing and the lack of nutrition during storage. This breathing in particular is reduced (even further) by storing the crop in low oxygen levels. This process is called Ultra Low Oxygen storage (ULO) and prevents early ripening. The ULO technique requires additional equipment, such as nitrogen generators and so-called lungs. These lungs are used to control the pressure in the storage room.

For some types of apples the combination of cooling technology and ULO, applied in a gas-proof chamber, can guarantee a storage time of up to 18 months.

CA storage

Sometimes yet another step is taken in order to control the carbon dioxide and occasionally also the ethylene levels, next to the oxygen. This is why in these cases the term Controlled Atmosphere (CA) is used.

Everything has to be right

ULO/CA storage is a difficult job, since all technologies have to come together: refrigeration technology, gas equipment, fully gas-proof rooms and doors, and one set of controls that runs everything. At Geerlofs Refrigeration, we have decades of experience on national and international level in designing and turnkey building of ULO/CA storage rooms. Your products benefit from investing in a Geerlofs.