a... ‘V‘fi‘v00fiQo.Mfig“.nfi---O--D‘ODO-'¢O .g.‘,.“-~. 0...“. muoo«-. -. Wfl“w _ . .wv_ “~‘1‘ 1 COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EXISTING PACKAGE ’ (CAIXA K) AND NEW TRANSPORT PACKAGES FOR + I FRESH TOMATOES IN BRAZIL Thesis for the Degree of M. S. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LUIS FERNANDO CERIBELLI MADI 1977 III In I In III II IIII II IIII IIIIII IIII II IIII IIII IIIIIII Ir; .. __ 1 This is to certify that the thesis entitled LUIS FERNANDO CERIBELLI MADI presented by has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for M . S . degree in PACKAGI NG Dr. James W. Goff Major professor Date May 3|, I977 0-7639 Ilii‘lllll ABSTRACT COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EXISTING PACKAGE (CAIXA K) AND NEW TRANSPORT PACKAGES FOR FRESH TOMATOES IN BRAZIL BY Luis Fernando Ceribelli Madi The production of tomatoes for market is very important in the State of Sao Paulo. At present tomatoes are packed into wooden boxes (caixa K). This box is hand made and held together with nails only. Boxes are always overfilled and there are no accurate figures on the mechanical damage of the fruit due to this packaging system. Therefore this study was made to in- vestigate the extent and reasons for damaged tomatoes under present packaging conditions and to develop a new package for this product. For a 100 Km distance field test, there were signi- ficant differences in the amount of damage between the boxes. The "caixa K" normal level (over filled) had ap- proximately a total of 10.6%, while "caixa K" filled level with top of the box had 7.5% and corrugated board boxes had only 3.6%. Luis Fernando Ceribelli Madi In the 400 Km distance field test, the losses found for "caixa K" with normal level and for corrugated board boxes were 14.7% and 7.9%, respectively. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EXISTING PACKAGE (CAIXA K) AND NEW TRANSPORT PACKAGES FOR FRESH TOMATOES IN BRAZIL BY Luis Fernando Ceribelli Madi A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE SCHOOL OF PACKAGING 1977 DEDICATION TO BIA ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT S The author wishes to express his appreciation to his major professor, Dr. James W. Goff, for his advice and help throughout this study. Grateful appreciation is extended particularly to Dr. Edward Comissiong and Dr. Clifford Bedford who served as members of the committee, reviewed the manuscript and made many constructive suggestions and comments. Thanks are expressed to "CEASA", Central Market Dis- tributor of fresh fruit and vegetables in Brazil and "FAZENDA PIMENTA", Farmer Producer of tomatoes in Brazil, for their interest in providing the raw material and commercialization facilities in this study. To Gunilla Jonson, ex-professor of the School of Packag- ing, I would like to express my appreciation for her help when the study started. I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Chaim H. Mannheim, from Technion, Israel, for his assistance in this study while he worked as a Consultant in the Packaging Section of ITAL. Grateful acknowledgment is extended to Dr. Douglas Novakoski for his technical assistance; to Eng. Decio D. Alvim the Director of Engineering Division of ITAL and to Eng. Leopoldo A. R. Sant'Anna for his help during the tests. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. . . . . . . LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . LIST OF FIGURES. . . . . . . INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . LITERATURE REVIEW. . . . . . PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS. . . Preliminary Experiment Preliminary Experiment NO. NO. 1 2 TRANSPORT FIELD TEST - 100 Km Distance TRANSPORT FIELD TEST - 400 KM DISTANCE PACKAGING EVALUATION - LABORATORY DATA SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. . . THE BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . GENERAL REFERENCES . . . . . iv Page iii vii 18 18 22 28 36 44 54 55 56 Table l 10 11 12 13 14 LIST OF TABLES Production evolution and areas cultivated with tomatoes, per region, in the State of 850 Paulo (Instituto de Economia Agricola 1975) O O I O O O I O O O I I O O O O O 0 Maximum defects permissable according to classes (maximum acceptable percentage). Classification of tomatoes after trans- portation for 30 and 300 Km. . . . . . . Specification of the corrugated boxes used in the Preliminary Experiment No. 1 Characteristics of the corrugated boxes used in the Preliminary Experiment No. 1 Weight of tomatoes in the "caixa K" using three levels of filling. . . . . . . . . Characteristics of the boxes used in the Preliminary Experiment No. 2 . . . . . . Percentage of tomatoes "BOM", "AMASSADO" and "ESMAGADO" after the transport of 100 Km I O O O O O O O O O O O I O O O 0 Percentage of tomatoes "BOM", "NMASSADO COMERCIALIZAVEL", "AMASSADO NAO COMER- CIALIZAVEL" and "ESMAGADO" after trans- port of 100 Km . . . . . . . . . . . . . Statistical analysis of the Transport Field Test-100 Km distance . . . . . . . Results of the Transport Field Test -400 Kl“ distance 0 O O O I O 0 O O O O 0 Percentage of tomatoes SALABLE and UNSALABLE, after the transport of a distance of 400 Km 0 O O O O O O I O O O O O 0 O 0 0 Drop test conditions used in the Laboratory Test No. l O O O O O O O O O O O O I O O Dimension, type, volume and capacity of the boxes used in the Drop Test (Laboratory Test NO. 1) O I O O O O O O O O O O O I O I Page 11 15 19 21 23 25 27 31 32 42 43 45 46 Table 15 16 17 18 19 Percentage of tomatoes salable and unsalable after laboratory Drop Test (Laboratory Test No. 1). . . . . . Specification of Frequence Range, Sweep and Dwell Amplitude, Dwell Time of the Vibration Test (Laboratory Test No. 2) O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 Percentage of tomatoes salable and unsalable after the Vibration Test No. 1 (Laboratory Test No. 2). . . Percentage of tomatoes salable and unsalable after the Vibration Test No. 2 (Laboratory Test No. 2). . . Maximum forces in the Compression Test for the four types of boxes. (Kgf) (Laboratory Test No. 3). . . vi Page 47 48 49 51 53 Figure 10 11 12 13 LIST OF FIGURES Commercialization system of "caixa K" for tomatoes in the State of Sao Paulo . . Tomato Santa Cruz and tomato Caqui . . "Caixa K" with the top layer mechan— ically damaged due to over filling . . Trucks carrying empty "caixa K" and "caixa K" with tomatoes. . . . . . . . Diagram of box loading on truck in the Preliminary Experiment No. l . . . . . Diagram of box loading on truck in the Preliminary Experiment No. 2 . . . . . Diagram of box loading on truck in the Transport Field Test - 100 Km distance Harvesting operation of the tomatoes in the Transport Field Test - 400 Km distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sorting packaging operation of the to- matoes at the harvest location in the Transport Field Test - 400 Km distance Diagram of box loading on truck in the Transport Field Test - 400 Km distance (lateral view) . . . . . . . . . . . . Diagram of box loading on truck in the Transport Field Test - 400 Km distance (front view) . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arrival of the tomatoes at the market (CEASA-Rio de Janeiro), after transport from $30 Paulo . . . . . . . . . . . . Analysis of the damage of the tomatoes after the transport of 400 Km. . . . . vii Page 14 20 24 29 36 37 39 39 40 41 1. INTRODUCTION The production of tomatoes for the market is a very important crop in the State of Sao Paulo. In 1975 the total amount of tomatoes sold (salad tomatoes) was 250,000 tons which had a value of CR$ 463,000,000.00 at the whole- sale market (7). Tomatoes are about 2.88 percent (1) of the 26 main agricultural products in the State of Sao Paulo. At present, tomatoes are packed by the farmers near the fields, in very primitive and small packing houses into wooden boxes called "caixa K". These boxes were designed at the beginning of the century to hold two 20 liter kerosine cans for transportation on mules. Later, farmers began to use these boxes for packaging of produce and today it is the officially approved box under Minis- terial Decree No. 76 of 05/27/75 for transporting tomatoes. This box is hand made and held together with nails only, without supporting wires. Boxes are always overfilled and tomatoes are pressed down very hard in nailing down the slats. Pressure in the box is rather high as can be seen by the bulging of the wooden sides. Tomatoes are overfilled since merchants claim that underfilling will cause a lot of damage due to vibration during transport. The tomatoes are sold to- gether with the box, but boxes are then resold to special vendors who repair them and resell them to farmers. It is estimated that boxes are used three times for tomatoes and then for other products. The commercialization system of the package (caixa K) is shown in Figure l. Horticulture~——-> Wholesaler —,’ Retailer Producer \I Saw mill Special Vendors Figure l. Commercialization system of "caixa K" for tomatoes in the State of Sao Paulo. There are no accurate figures on the mechanical damage to the fruit due to this poor packaging system. Estimates range from 10 to 30% mechanical damage due to overfilling, rough surfaces, etc. This means an annual loss of about CR$ 92,000,000.00 based on the above production figures. The return of boxes is also costly since they occupy the same volume empty as when full. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investi- gate the extent and reasons for damaged tomatoes under the present packaging conditions. A second purpose was to develop and test a new modern one-way transport pack- age for use initially only for transport over large dis- tances exceeding, for example, 1000 km, and later for shorter distances. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. - SURVEY OF EXISTING SYSTEM FOR GROWING AND HANDLING FRESH TOMATOES IN BRAZIL 2.1.1. - TOMATO VARIETY On the State of Sao Paulo two main varieties of tomatoes are sold, "Santa Cruz" and "Caqui" (Figure 2). "Santa Cruz” has a long shape, thick pulp and average weight of 30-100 9. It is resistant to damage from handling, transportation and storage. "Caqui" (tomate de mesa) has a round shape, average weight of 150-250 g, and fair resistance to damage. This variety represents only 3% of the total amount of tomatoes sold in the State of Sao Paulo (7). 73/1/1470 ’Mflfl/ 70mm KAI/flaw‘ -: 1 -_ Figure 2. Tomato "Santa Cruz" and tomato "Caqui". 2.1.2. PRODUCTION STATISTICS, PLANTATION,HANDLING AND TRANSPORT OF TOMATOES 2.1.2.1. Production Statistics The production of tomatoes has been ex- panded greatly in recent years in Brazil, mainly in the State of Sao Paulo, which is the most important producer for both intra and inter-state demand. On the internal market the rate of urbanization and the increase of per capita income have created a better demand for the fruit. This increase in demand is the most important reason for the increase in production as seen in Table 1. The area of tomato plantation increased from 13,455 ha in 1968 to 22,800 ha in 1974. However during 1973/ 1974 there was a small decrease, but, according to the "Instituto de Economia Agricola" the area planted went up by 36% and the amount produced by 23% in 1975 (5). The main production areas for fresh market tomatoes be- long to the regions of Sorocaba, Campinas and Sao Paulo (Table 1). 2.1.2.2. Plantations Both varieties of tomatoes are grown in I. " I o o cultura estaqueadas which means grow1ng on Wires between stakes (Figure 8). mmxon 1x 11.. 11x01 11 11. 001u11 011 11 01 11 011 001 011.1 001.1 001 011.1 11111 000.11 III 01 11 11 011 011 011.1 001.1 011 010.1 .1111 001.11 III 01 01 II 011 011 011.1 000.1 001 001.1 .1111 001 1 III 01 01 11 011 001 001.1 001.1 001 001.1 .1111 001.01 III 01 01 01 011 001.1 011.1 011.1 011 011.1 10111 011 1 III 01 11 01 111 001 001.1 111.1 111 000.1 1.1111 011.01 III 11 11 001 111 111 001.1 111.1 011.1 110.1 .1111 Ammxon 000.10 auHucmso 001.1 011 01 01 01 01 011 011.1 001.1 011 011 1111 001.1 III 01 01 01 011 011 001.1 001.1 011 011 1111 001.1 III 01 01 II 001 011 001.1 011.1 011 001.1 1111 111.1 III 11 11 11 111 111 111.1 111.1 111 011.1 1111 111.1 III 11 11 11 111 111 111.1 111.1 111 111.1 0111 111.1 III 11 11 11 111 111 111.1 111.1 111 111 1111 111.1 III 11 11 111 111 111 111.1 111.1 111 111 1111 Amnv pond AdBOB oflawumz mucouanm mnaumomum cumum 515mm oumum mmcwmemu mnmoouom mnflmumm 015mm 0mm 1111111111 011 oo 01111111 oo.m1m> wm0b 0mm .Ambma .mHoofiumfi M1Eocoom op ousuwumch 01=wm 0mm mo oumum on» :1 .c01mw1 10m .mooumEou mo pmum>11150 woman can c011910>o COHuosvoum .1 wanna Plantations are found in the entire State of Sao Paulo but the areas located in the Indaiatuba and Guarapiara region are responsible for 50% of the total production of the "Santa Cruz" variety (5). For the "Caqui" variety the regions of Pindamonhangaba and Campinas are the most important ones. Using alternative seasons of harvesting in different regions, makes it possible for tomatoes to be found in the market during the entire year in the State of $30 Paulo. 2.1.2.3. Technology of Production 2.1.2.3.1. Production The culture of the tomato is an ac- tivity that needs specialized workers because of the care the plantation requires to obtain a good crop. In general, the production is carried out by members of the family of the farmer using 1.5 to 2.0 hectares per family. Larger areas are taken care of by groups of families. The growing of tomatoes is done using two systems: 1. "Own production"; 2. "Rent system", called "Meiacao". In the first case all the responsibilities and the profits belong to the family. In the second case, the work is done by the family, but all the materials are supplied by a third party. In this case profits are divided equally or proportionally, depending on the contract. Tomatoes in Sao Paulo are grown in two ways: a) production of seedling, or b) planting seeds in the field. The production of seedling is done in gardens or in paper cups . 2.1.2.3.2 Harvesting The harvesting starts three or four months after sowing or two months after the seedlings are planted in the field. The normal period of the har- vest is two months but it is prolonged sometimes. On the other hand, it can finish in one month, depending on the climatic conditions and other factors. The time between harvests of same field should be more or less three days during hot weather and less frequently during cold weather. The degree of maturation of tomatoes will depend on the distance they must be transported from the producer to the consumer. For distant markets the fruit should be harvested as soon as it starts to become yellow. At this stage, the fruit reached its maximum size and is ripe. It will get the desired red color inside the box, before reaching the market. For closer markets, the fruit should be riper, with a reddish color when harvested. The harvest is done by hand with the help of baskets and pushcarts (Figure 8). The use of the latter, helps to speed the work, because these carts can be moved easily between the rows of tomatoes. The product is then sorted according to standards and will be explained later. 2.1.3 HANDLING AND TRANSPORT OF TOMATOES After harvesting,the tomatoes are sent to covered sheds called "galpao coberto" (Figure 9) which have good air circulation for removal of surface moisture. They are spread in thin layers on the shelves or on the floor. The fruit will remain from two to twenty-four hours to loose a little turgor and permit slight compres- sion inside the boxes. The fruit should be free of re- sidual pesticides or dirt, and this cleaning is done by hand later. After removal of dirt and damaged fruit, the sorting is done according to the type. After sorting, the tomatoes are packed in wooden boxes "caixa K" (Figure 3). These wooden boxes have an internal dimension of, width 230 mm, height 355 mm, length 495 mm and a permis- sable deviation of :5 mm. The weight of the empty box varies from 3.0 to 4.5 Kg without covers. The top slats covers weigh from 0.5 to 1.0 Kg. 22 to 23 Kg of tomatoes are put into the boxes. The fruit is packed at random except for the top layer. When the top wooden slats are nailed onto the box an opening of about 2 cm is left between the slats to exhibit the top fruit. Unfortunately the openings are frequently greater than 2 cm and the boxes are overfilled, so the fruit is damaged by denting and squashing (Figure 3). Figure 3. "Caixa K" with the t0p layer mechanically damaged due to the over filling. LEGAL ASPECTS According to the rules stipulated by the "Secretaria da Agricultura do Estado de Sao Paulo" in February 1974 (8) the tomatoes are divided as follows: 10 - GROUP - according to shape - CLASS - according to size - TYPE - according to quality Regarding shape, there are two groups: — GROUP 1 - Long shape (Santa Cruz) - GROUP 2 - Round-flat shape (Caqui). The classification into classes in GROUP 1 is done according to the diameter of the fruit: - BIG - minimum diameter of 52 mm - MEDIUM — minimum diameter between 47-52 mm - SMALL — minimum diameter between 40-47 mm - VERY SMALL - minimum diameter between 33-40 mm. According to the regulation No. 76 of February 25, 1975 of the "Ministerio da Agricultura do Brazil" Article No. 8, the types and their maximum permissible defects in the caixa "K" are shown in Table 2. In the top layer the product must be well oriented and must be representative of the product inside the box. Mixing of groups in the same box is not permitted. The maximum percentage of different classes of fruit in the same box group is: BIG - 10% of fruit of medium size MEDIUM - 10% of fruit small or big size SMALL - 10% of fruit of very small or medium size VERY SMALL - 10% of fruit of small or 10% of fruit with 30 mm diameter. 11 Table 2. Maximum defects permissable according to classes (maximum acceptable percentage). Defects Extra AA Extra A Extra Special Deteriorated fruit 0 0 0 2 Fruit Not well Formed 0 2 5 9 Fruit with Yellow Color 3 5 7 12 Fruit with Mixture in Colors 3 5 10 15 Soft Fuirt 0 l 3 5 Fruit with Color Spots 0 2 3 5 Fruit with Cracks 2 5 8 12 Fruit with Mechanical Damages 3 5 8 12 12 The tomato box must be labeled with legible letters giving group, class, name or number of the producer (8). The use of a different box, from the one permitted, must be requested from the "Secretaria da Agricultura". The request must be accompanied with samples of the new proposed packages and a detailed specification. The Secre- taria da Agricultura will have 90 days to approve or reject the new package. The first 60 days will be consider- ed as the test period. During this period, the package can be used experimentally. After 90 days, if there is no decision made, the package will be considered approved automatically (8). The "caixa K" (the box utilized to pack the tomatoes) are used not only in the State of 530 Paulo but throughout Brazil. The boxes are assembled manually and most handling is done by hand. There are some lift trucks used to trans- port the boxes from one place to another, but loading and unloading is all done by hand. The price of tomatoes, in the marketing chain, in- cludes price of the boxes. The empty boxes are resold to special dealers who repair them and resell them to the farmers. It is assumed that these boxes are used about three times for packaging tomatoes and then for other, less delicate products such as green bell pepper, green salad and carrots. Recently there have been periodic shortages in empty boxes at different locations, due to difficulties in collecting, handling and transportation. 13 The price of a new box (September 1976) is about CR$ 8.00 in the market place. A slightly used box costs CR$ 7.00 and an older box CR$ 6.00. This price includes repairs and slats for closing the boxes (10). Packed tomatoes are transported by trucks with capacities of 250—500 boxes (Figure 4). The cost of transporting the empty boxes is CR$ 0.50 for a distance of 150 Km (10), 2.2. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH "CAIXA K" N \ 2.2.1. DAMAGE TO PRODUCE One of the points raised against "caixa K", concerns the damage caused to the fruit in this box during handling, transportation and storage. Unfortunately, no detailed study was ever done on this point. The only information available is the work done by ITAL/IPT (5) In this study, the evaluation of tomatoes was done after transport ranging from 30 to 300 km. In this experiment two samples of 25 boxes of toma- toes picked at different locations were used and the results are shown in Table 3. The boxes transported over the larger distance had less tomatoes without any damage and more tomatoes with cracks. However, tomatoes with natural defects were also higher. Since the latter classification has nothing to do with damage during transport it must be concluded that initial quality of tomatoes was quite different. 14 Figure 4. Trucks carrying empty "caixa K" and "caixa K" with tomatoes. 15 Table 3. Classification of Tomatoes After Transportation for 30 and 300 km DISTANCE OF CLASSIFICATION TRANSPORTATION 30 km 300 km "BOM" (without any damage) 75.33% 58.46% "AMASSADO" (with mechanical damage) 4.22% 4.75% "ESMAGADO" (with cracks) 3.38% 9.81% "DEFEITOS NATURAIS" (natural defects) 17.07% 26.98% Therefore, no conclusion can be drawn from this experiment. Visiting many markets, it was found that due to the high mechanical resistance of the wood, people in Brazil overfill these boxes and compress the fruit on nailing down the top. It may be assumed that this is a major cause for the high damage. Based on the above study, and other observations, compression damage and dents on the top layer of boxes, rendered more than 15% of fruit unsalable. Stockes (1D claimed this damage to amount to 20-30%. Considering the total volume of tomatoes sold in the State of Sao Paulo this amounts to a considerable loss in terms of money. 2.2.2. HANDLING At the present time, boxes are neither pallet- ized nor handled by lift trucks, due to tradition as well as to the irregular shape of the boxes and absence of l6 suitable equipment. The main problems concerning caixa K are: a) This box takes up as much volume empty as full and therefore storage requires considerable space. This is specially important if produce is dispatched to large distances and then return transport of empty containers is costly. b) Because of the rough treatment these boxes suffer during handling, and in addition, the poor quality of the wood used, often boxes break, causing serious losses of tomatoes, waste of time, etc. c) For inspection, the boxes are opened with a special tool and nailed down again. This causes waste of time and damage to box and product. d) Boxes are heavy (4-5 kg), and thus constitute almost 20% of the gross weight. Besides this, these boxes are not smooth and often injure hands of laborers and are difficult to pick up. e) Since boxes are hand-made, size is not very accurate, and often does not fit specification. This becomes even more important when boxes are made in other states than S. Paulo such as State of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais and are sold in the State of S. Paulo. f) There is considerable handling and transporta- tion involved in return and repair of empty boxes. This has an important influence on the cost of the box. 9) Due to high damage of fruit in these boxes, often 17 rotten and moldy pieces remain in the box and contamin- ate fresh fruit since these boxes are not washable. 2.2.3. ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS There are many ecological factors involved in the choice of boxes such as energy consumption, waste material, pollution, amount of raw material required, etc. For the present situation, it seems that the most important point is the consumption of raw material, i.e., wood. If we consider a tree of "pinheiro" of medium size, 3 according to Rigeseano (12),it can supply 2 m of board 3 and 1,66 m3 of wood residue. From 2 m of board it is possible to make 103 "caixa K" boxes. The same amount of board, supplies 444 kg of cellulose or 412 kg Kraft paper of 170 g/cm2 or 2423 m2. If we consider that the corrugated board is made of 3 layers of Kraft paper, we 2 will get 2423 + 3 = 807 m corrugated board per tree. A corrugated box similar in size to "caixa K" requires 0.98 m2. Thus 807 m2 will make 817 boxes. 2 of the wood residue, can 2 Furthermore, the 1.66 m yield 304 kg of paper or 2000 m of Kraft (170 g/m2) or 596 m2 of corrugated board that can make 597 more boxes. In summary, one tree could yield: 1 - 103 wooden box type "caixa K"; or 2 - 1414 corrugated board box type "caixa K". 3. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS 3.1. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT NO. 1: TRANSPORT TEST OF CORRUGATED BOARD BOXES After some meetings with tomato producers, corrugated board box makers and personnel from central wholesale markets (CEASA) it was decided to try three types of corrugated board boxes in a field test. The dimensions, capacities and type of construction of these boxes are shown in Table 4. Tomatoes were chosen, under our supervision, from normal caixa K in the wholesale market of Rio de Janeiro. Only undamaged fruit were repacked into the three test cartons. They were then loaded on the truck, placing them at the bottom in the three last rows of the truck, thus giving them the worst place on the truck. Two rows of cartons of each type were placed one on top of the other and on top of these two rows, four more rows of caixa K were stacked. Ten boxes of each type of carton were used in this trial (Figure 5). The truck traveled from Rio de Janeiro to the wholesale market in Sao Paulo, a distance of about 400 km. Boxes were checked on arrival at Sao Paulo. The temperature during this trial was about 25°C. and the relative humidity 65%. Of the three types of corrugated cartons used in this trial, the No. 1 and No. 2 performed very well, with no 18 19 omvucumcma omm mom m.owo.ma H.0Ho.H maauunmama amhmm .o.m.m m mmmunupw3 mqvunuwcma Axon mcfloaomv men mom m.ofim.ma H.ou~.H mmmuunmwwn omamm usonmfla N ommunupwz mmensumaoa own cum n.0um.am H.ou~.a ommausmwms omomm omoommame H mmmanucfi3 Amxv oon Amcw\nav Awwoumaou Amxv xon REEL AmEov mmxe Axon pnmon pmummsuuouv Havauum> mo oxv on» no mcoflmcmeflo mEsHo> xon on» mo .02 EOHHOZ sumcwuum caumum >ufiowamu unmfiw3 uwz accumucH a .02 ucmEHummxm >umcHEmeum on» Ca poms mwxon pmummsuuoo map mo :oHuMOHMHommm .v OHQMB 20 K K K K K K K K K K K K N01 N02 N03 N01 N02 N03 Figure 5. Diagram of box loading on truck in the Prelim- inary Experiment No. 1. damage at all to the box. The box No. 3 didn't support the weight of the layers on tOp of it and collapsed. It is important to emphasize that no apparent damage was found in the tomatoes on the arrival in 550 Paulo, even in boxes that collapsed. This was because of head space that was produced due to vibration during the transport. The amount of crushing of the corrugated boxes was ap- proximately equal to the head space generated during transport. 21 vv\~m\mm maa omm oeH omm o.~o~ o.mm m X0 ve\~m\mm med was oeH mcfioaom o.~o~ o.m~ m vv\~m\vv mma omH o.mmH m.m~ um>oo Ill one III wmoommame IIII. H vv\~m\mm\~m\¢¢ mmm mam o.oe~ m.m~ xom Imam occaxnao Amww OOOH\QHV lose Amo\oc masum A~:H\mnav Amcw\mnflv H .02 xon uumom msuuou GOHuMOHMflUme #3 HOS mwmmm mucmnmwmwm OHSUUCDQ COHHDE EmSHU Umum canon pmuquuuou pumom pwcwnsoo conmquEou umHm mumma H .02 ucmEHmexm xumcflEHamum wnu cfi pow: mwxon pmummsuuoo on» mo moflumfiumuomumnu .m OHQMB 22 3.2. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT NO. 2: ANALYSIS OF NORMAL FILLING PROCEDURES AND AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD It was assumed that over-filling is one of the most important factors causing damage to the fruit packed in 'baixa K". Therefore, this preliminary experiment, concern— ing the level of fill, was conducted. Some people claim that reducing the amount of tomatoes and underfilling boxes will cause more damage due to excessive vibration of the fruit during transport. In order to check this problem the net weight of tomatoes at two levels of fill was determined (Table 6). The levels of fill used for caixa K were: a) The normal level, i.e., overfill, b) Level with top of the box. Based on the data from the Preliminary Experiment No. 1 the folding box was made slightly larger to fit better when stacked with the corrugated board box No. l and "caixa K". The experiment was carried out with one size of tomatoes of the variety Santa Cruz. The net weight of tomatoes with each level of fill and the average weight of tomatoes per kg for all sizes used in the State of Sao Paulo are given in Table 6. Tomatoes were packed at a packing house on a farm. Initial quality was determined, according to Standards of Secretaria da Agricultura (8). Tomatoes were trans- ported to the market of Sao Paulo, a distance of about 100 23 .coflumfl>mp pumpcmum can cmmz« «m.~wh.v~ c~.oum.v «o.m~wm.vvm «m.ono.ma «b.o«m.m~ av.ouo.a~ ae.owo.wm «o.awm.mm «m.owm.n~ Hmwommm am.aum.ma «m.oww.v «H.mno.omm «m.owm.na «m.owv.- «n.0wv.om «m.ona.m~ «5.0Hm.~m «w.ow~.bm muuxm «o.HHN.HH «m.oum.e cm.muv.vhm «m.ow¢.na am.oao.m~ am.owo.o~ «n.0uw.vm am.ouh.m~ «m.ow~.n~ m muuxm «m.oam.m «v.0Hm.v «H.m«v.vwa «v.0«v.mfl ah.ou~.H~ cm.owo.ma «5.0«m.mm am.onm.a~ «m.owh.mm «d muuxm ox umm ox ox ox ox mx mx xom humfim mmoumEoe us uwz #3 mmouu u3 umz uz mmouo u3 umz u3 mmouo mwoumeoa mo unvww3 mo umnfidz mos xom HmEuoz no $252 333 .8st mac 65 no nos 5%: Hmuoa Adam mo Hm>mq .mcflaawm mo maw>wa woman wcwms =M mmeoz may cw mmoumfiou mo unmfimz .m manna 24 km, on a regular truck. The boxes were placed at the middle of the back truck (Figure 6). Five sample boxes of each level of fill were taken to ITAL's laboratory for further quality analysis after two days of storage. The results are given in Table 8, based on the following quality specification: 1 - BOM - good fruit, without any damage; 2 - AMASSADOS - fruits with mechanical damages (brusing, crushing); 3 - ESMAGADOS - fruits with cracks. The temperature and the relative humidity during experiments were 20°C and 100% R.H., respectively (it was raining during the test). The dimension, capacities and type of construction of the boxes used (No. 1 and No. 4) are shown in Table 7. The two corrugated boxes used in this experiment were loadedoo H .02 xon pneoo own mmoomoama pwuwmsuuoo ¢¢\~m\mm\~m\vv mam mam o.os~ m.m~ xom m “mum ooa\nac lmflw coaxnac lose Imu\mc masum A~:H\mnflv Amcaxmnac mxom u: amz momma mocmumammm wuouocsm cowumowmwommm . . cmHHsz smsuo Unmom pwummsuuoo Unmom omcHQEou coflmmmumeou umHm mumma .N .02 ucmsflummxm mumcflafiamum mnu ca poms mwaQ on» NO mofluwfluwuomumcu .n magma 26 The boxes were also checked on arrival at Sao Paulo. These two boxes performed very well, with no damage at all to the box. The difference found in tomato "Amassados" (with mechanical damage) between "caixa K" normal level (over filled) and "caixa K" filled level with top of the box and corrugated box No. l and No. 4 were high. There were approximately 84% of tomatoes "BOM" in both corru- gated boxes (No. l and No. 4) and 74% in "caixa K" filled level of the crate and only 64% in overfilled crates (Table 8). During the analysis of the tomatoes, some small varia- tions were found in maturity. Due to this we suspect that some of the differences could be due to this varia- tion. To check this fact another test will be conducted, where this factor will be controlled. The differences found in tomatoes (ESMAGADOS) with cracks, were apparently more due to the quality of the tomatoes rather than to the package. .coHDMHbop cumpcmum can cum: I Aav 27 Aavm.Hnw.H Hcvb.Hnm.H H«V¢.m o.wH Havv.m o.mH Aavm.wum.~m Havm.mum.mm v .02 xon canon pmummsuuoo .«VH.HNm.H A4V~.Hwo.H Havo.mum.vH Havo.mnv.MH Aavo.vu~.vm Havo.wwm.mm H .oz xon Uumon pwummsuuou Acvv.HHm.N Havo.HHm.N Atvm.bwo.mm Havo.mwv.mm Aavm.wwv.mm Havm.muo.¢m HO>OH Hmfiuoc ex mxHMU: A¢VO.HHO.H Aavm.owo.H Havh.muo.mN Havb.muv.mm Aavh.mwm.mh Havm.mflm.mr xon no mo» 39H3 :x mmeog umnasz w unmnwz a “mnesz w unmamz m _ uwneaz a unmfios a =OQ¢0¢Smm= =0Q0H HMEHOG M MNHMU I N .02 xon pmummdnuoo I v W «z 9 «oz mz Hz «oz mz Hz 4oz Nz Hz 4oz Nz Hz 4oz «z Hz «oz Nz Hz .02 .h musmHm 30 and is presented in Table 10. 4.1. STATISTICAL COMPARISON Ai (i = 1, 2, 3) are the independent populations, each one with j atributes BJ (J = 1, ....4). For each population, we had the sample size n ....n. 11' n12 1J’ A1 = "Caixa K" with normal level (over filled) A2 = "Caixa K" filled to top of the box A3 = Corrugated board box. B1 = attributes= Tomatoes good (BOM) Bz==attributes==Tomatoes with mechanical damage, but salable (AMASSADO COMERCIALIZAVEL) B3::attributes==Tomatoes with mechanical damage, but unsalable (AMASSADO NAO COMERCILIZAVEL) B4==attributes= Tomatoes with cracks (ESMAGADO). To test at a significance level of 5%, the hypothesis: Ho : fl = fl lJ ....w. = (J = 1,2,3,4). 2J = 1J J Against H1 = at least two of these proportions are dif- ferents. We use _ — '1 ‘ _ Y — n {[ PJ] 1 where PJ — 3 0 "549 1 (Goodman 1964) .coHuuH>0v unaccnuu can coax. 31. .mv.HHmm.H .mm.Hflmm.H .mm.H hm.~ .mh.H am." .mo.m no.o~ .n¢.e oo.m~ .eo.m o~.oo .Ne.h Hn.ok v .oz xon canon voucmauuou .qh.o“ma.H .ma.owmo.H cv~.~ hm.o .me.~ hv.o .mm.m om.m~ 44¢.m om.mm .mo.o ~m.mo .mm.o vo.mo xon on» mo no» no“: .z anoo. aao.HHov.~ .mo.~HHm.~ .qm.~ mn.o .om.u mn.m .NH.m m~.mm .om.m mq.vn .oo.p ~m.mm .N.» ~m.vm Ho>oH Hosuo: nqu :K QXHQU: nooeoz . usage: » monasz a unowoz a noosoz a unozoz a uonaoz a uaozoz a .oo¢NHqmn umnu wHQEMm oumEou on» no mNHm n .H¢ «HmEdm :oHuoHamom may no oan u .H: «mums: 232 mono emvfi mmm chow mva o o: on Mon No: Hog neon mmHo.o hm mmmo.o mm meo~.o omo vmmo.o maoH v .mz zoo UHMOQ “ovum DHHOU OMC me me mm“ Hmmfl Nmm NMC Hmm HMS M < ”mam «HHo.o em ”moo.o HmH ooom.o Hem memo.o HemH zoo on» no no» on» ou ooHHHu .z oxaoo. on: q~o «a: mam man «no «N: Hum HN: ~< mon ovao.o mp ammo.o men ~mmm.o mHHH Hemm.o mmoH zooHHHuuoooc Ho>oH HQEOC Ex “NflMU: can «Ho «Ho MHo man man «an HHo HHo Ha :oHuuomoum hoconvoum coHuHomoum mucosumum coHuuomoum aocmsvmum COHuuomoum mocwsgmum coHuuHamom .ooaoazmm. ceases .qm>¢NanHozmzoo 042 =qm> oN m.Nm HwN mIH .oz mmN m.m mN N.om HMN NIH .oz th b.ww mH m.mm meN HIH .oz xon canon counmsaaou mmN m.hH om m.Nm mMN OHI me «.mH we o.vm NwN mI mmN c.NH mm v.5m omN mI th m.mH mv h.mm HmN mI omN m.mH we H.vm va VI mmN v.MH ov m.wm mmN MI nhN v.vH ow c.mm th NI mmN VoHH Vm Womm mON Hl:& MXHMU: mmoanan mo wmnncwoaom amnEdz wmnuaooamm amnesz Age .mHm= mmmv amnssz HnuOB ananmCD onnfioe oHnanm ounEoe xom no name .oocoumao sz cos I amoe oHon uaoomznae on» no muHomom .HH wanna 43 Table 12. Percentage of tomatoes salable and unsalable, after the transport of a distance of 400 Km. Tomatoes Good Tomatoes Not Good Type of Box "Salable" "Unsalable" "Caixa K" 85.4:2.1* 14.6:2.l* Corrugated board box No. l 92.211.l* 7.8:l.l* Corrugated board box No. 4 92.1:1.9* 7.9:1.9* *Mean and standard deviation. 6. PACKAGING EVALUATION The laboratories studies were done to compare the performance of "caixa K" (wooden box) with that of three corrugated board boxes. Laboratory test conditions were used that would simulate as closely as possible the damage that could occur under actual field conditions. The to- matoes obtained from the farm were graded, and undamaged ripe fruit, "Santa Cruz", Extra A was packed into the boxes, about 250 fruit per box. 6.1. DROP TEST The drop tests were performed on a Lanomout Model 95 Shock Machine according to the ASTMD775-6l DrOp Test for Shipping Containers (4) using a program which produced a 3.1 ms shock pulse. The drop height was determined using a technique which produced a total shock machine velocity change approximately equal to that produced in the free fall drop from the two heights previously speci- fied (97 cm and 90 cm) for the two different boxes. These two different heights were because of the way the boxes are carried. It was assumed that the package falling in the actual handling situation will not rebound and that the total velocity change was limited to the impact velocity itself. The drop test conditions used are given in Table 13. Twelve boxes were tested, 3 of each type (Table 14). The results of the drop test are given in Table 15. 44 ‘45 .uanun moac 0cHnonz u n .mccooanHHHE ca mmHnm xoonm mo :oHunaao n u .oom\NEU ca coHunawHooon an o>Haan ou mom an mHmHanev mHm cH xoonm EdEHxnz u 0 Asov m.mm m.mm m.m¢ 0.0m o.om o.om o.om o.om 0.0m o.om o.om o.om n nose H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m H.m a oHN oHN mHN oHN OHN OHN CHN oHN OHN OHN OHN OHN o =mIM :NIM =HIx MIv .oz NIv .oz HIv .oz mIN .oz NIN .oz HIN .oz MIH .oz NIH .oz HIH .oz annug annO= annO= .wsaaoo .msaaou .osaaoo .msaaou .wsaaou .msaaou .msaaoo .msaaoo .msaaoo H .02 umwe maounaonnq mnu cH com: mcoHuHccoo umwu moan .mH mHnnB 46 omN unacH3 omm "uannn xon xon cmcoo3 n.mN m.oam.v oom unuman omNov cocooz =x annO= ovm "nncHz xon a .oz v.am H.0HH.H omm "noonoo omosm moaoaoz zoo oaooo mmv "nnman connmsaaou oom unncaz xon N .oz N.HN H.oaN.H mwN ”aannn omHmm mchHom xon canon mow "numan connmsaaou mmm "nucHs H .oz m.HN H.oaN.H ONN "uannn omwmm mmoomanB xon canon mow "nnman connmsaaoo d naaxm Amy “EEC AmEov .Ho> name Announfioa\mxv .nz anz .EHQ anaonmnu .ucH AH .oz umne maoanaonnqv amnu moac mnu cH com: mnxon nnu mo waHonmno can nEdHo> .mma» .coamcoEHo .vH anne 47 .Cflme " E o.mH o.hH m.HN v.mH o.Hm o.mm m.mb o.Hm gm annu: m.m N.0H v.m H.HH H.Hm m.mm o.vm m.mm w .oz xon canon cwnnmsaaoo m.NH m.NH N.0H N.mH v.nm n.sm m.mm m.vm N .oz xon canon counmsaaoo N.0H N.HH m.m N.0H m.mm m.mm n.om m.mm H .02 xon canon cmanmsaaoo E m N H E m N H moxom ananmcD ananm mnoaneoe mo monucnoanm mmouneoe mo nmnacooaom momnfinc mo ownucnoawm .AH .oz Home haounaonnqv umna moac haounaonnH anamn mHnanmcs can mHnanm mnoanEou mo nmnaamoanm .mH annB 48 The "caixa K" box in every test had significantly more unsalable tomatoes (19.4%) than did the corrugated board boxes (8.9% - 12.6%). The differences between the three corrugated board boxes were not significant. 6.2 VIBRATION TEST "Caixa K" and corrugated board boxes were vibrated as described in the ASTM D-999-B "Vibration Test for Shipping Containers” Schedule b-Vehicle Vibration (9). The condi- tions for the vibration test are given in Table 17. Table 16. Specification of Frequence Range, Sweep and Dwell Amplitude and Dwell Time of the Vibra- tion Test (Laboratory Test No. 2) Assurance Frequence Sweep and Dwell Dwell Level Range Amplitude (O-peak) Time I 3-100 Hz 0.5 g 30 min. II 3-100 Hz 0.5 g 15 min. III 3-100 Hz 0.25 g 15 min. 6.2.1 - VIBRATION TEST NO. 1 Assurance level II was used. Three boxes of "caixa K" and three corrugated board boxes each of type No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 were used. The boxes were filled with ripe tomatoes at the farm and transported by truck 49 .Cmms “ E m.m m.m m.m o.m m.mm v.0m N.mm o.nm v .oz xon canon cnanmsaaou o.v m.m m.v o.v o.mm N.mm >.mm o.mm H .02 xon canon cnanmsaaou m.HH N.HH m.HH m.OH h.mm m.mm N.mm N.mm xon cncooz .- VH mxflwu = m. m N H m. m N H Anmnucnoanmv Anmnucnoanmv ananmca c000 uoz mnouneoe oHnanm I cooo mnoaneoa AN .oz pone aaoooaooooe H .oz ummn coHunanH> mnn awumn mHnanmnd can mHnanm mmounEOu mo omnucnoamm .hH annB 50 to the laboratory for the vibration test. The results are summarized in Table 17. The unsalable tomatoes in the "caixa K" box after vibration was about three times as great as in either of the corrugated board boxes. These results are comparable to the data obtained from the 100 Km field test. 6.2.2. VIBRATION TEST NO. 2 Assurance level I was used (Table 16). "Caixa K" and corrugated board boxes No. l and No. 4 were tested. They were filled with ripe tomatoes as before. The results are summarized in Table 18. The percentage of unsalable tomatoes from the "caixa K" boxes were 13-15% and from the corrugated board boxes 6-7%. These were similar to the results of the 400 Km truck transport test. The damage was increased from 25-70% over that obtained with assur- ance level II. 6.3. COMPRESSION TEST The "caixa K" boxes and corrugated board boxes were tested to determine their ability to resist external compression loads when empty. The method used is based on ASTM D 642-47 (1973) "Compression Test For Shipping Containers" (3). The boxes were conditioned at 200 C and 63-67% R.H. 51 anne u_m H.m ¢.m o.m o.m m.mm o.mm o.vm o.¢m v .oz xon canon counmsaaou m.m 0.5 n.m 0.0 N.mm o.mm m.mm N.mm H .oz xon canon counmaaaoo o.VH N.mH o.¢H o.mH o.mm m.vm o.om o.nm =M annU= m m N H m m N H ananm:D ananm mnounfioa mo nonacnoanm moonnsoe mo omnucnoanm .HN .oz .umme haounaonnqv N .02 nmna coHananH> mna amamn ananmcd can mHnanm mnoanfiou mo omnusnoanm .mH annE 52 for 48 hours before testing. The results are summarized in Table 19. "Caixa K" (wooden box) were not crushed by 1600 Kgf (using a "head" of larger dimension than the box). The corrugated board boxes were crushed at 580 to 850 Kgf with no significant differences between the box types. 53 Table 19. Maximum forces in the Compression Test for the power types of boxes (kgf) (Laboratory Test No. 3). 1 2 3 In' "Caixa K" 1600* 1600* 1600* 1600* Corrugated board box No. 1 710 710 740 720 Corrugated board box No. 2 690 790 850 777 Corrugated board box No. 4 660 630 580 623 *With this compression force, there was no damage at all in the box. *kgf = kilogram force. 54 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicated that tomatoes can be truck transported for 100 and 400 Km in corrugated board boxes with much less damage to the tomatoes than in "caixa K" wooden boxes now commonly used in Brazil. The damage in "caixa K" boxes was 10.6% and 14.7% for 100 and 400 Km transport distances respectively. For corrugated board boxes, the damage was 3.6% and 7.9%, respectively, for the same distances. Overfilling the "caixa K" boxes resulted in an addi- tional 3% loss of tomatoes when truck transported 100 Km. Results obtained with vibration tests using assurance level II and I, respectively, gave good simulation of the transport field tests 100 and 400 Km distance for tomatoes. The above data indicated even with corrugated board boxes the damage after 400 Km transport exceeds the re- quirements of Regulation 76 (February 25, 1975) specifying 5% maximum mechanical damage permitted for tomatoes Extra A, during transportation. BIBLIOGRAPHY 10. 11. 12. BIBLIOGRAPHY Agricultura Paulista. 1975-1976, Relatério Agricola, Secretaria da Agricultura, Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. American Society for Testing and Materials, 1974, Part 20, ASTM D 999-68, "Vibration Test for Shipping Containers", 271-273. American Society for Testing and Materials, 1974, Part 20, ASTM D 642-47, "Compression Test for Shipping Containers", 103-106. American Society for Testing and Materials, 1974, Part 20, ASTM D 775-61, "Drop Test for Shipping Con- tainers", 170-177. Estudo da viabilidade tecnico economica da utilizacao de novos tipos de embalagens na comercializacao de produtos horticulas, 1975, Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Secretaria da Agricultura, Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Goodman, L. A., 1964. Simultaneous confidence inter- vals for contrasts among multinomial populations. Annals of Mathematical Statistics 35(2):716-725. Instituto de Economia Agricola, 1975 Annual Bulletin, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Padronizacao de Produtos Horticulas, 1974 Bulletin, Secretaria da Agricultura, Governo do Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Performance Testing Standard for Shipping Containers, 1976, Prepared by "Performance Testing Task Group, Sub-Committee D 10.21 Committee D-10 on Packaging", American Society for Testing and Materials. Sant'Anna, L. A. R., 1976, Personal information, CEASA, Campinas, Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. Stokes, D. R., 1975, Evaluation and recommendations for improvements of shipping containers for fresh fruit and vegetables in the Brazilian domestic market, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. Uma arvore, quantas caixas? Cem mil caixas, quantas arvores? 1973, O Rigesiano, No. 151, ANO XIII. 55 GENERAL REFERENCES GENERAL REFERENCES Corrugated's wet and wild new market, 1970, Paperboard Packaging, 55:21-24. Jonson, G., 1974, Comparison of Distribution Containers for Celery. School of Packaging, Michigan State Uni- versity, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Parsons, C. S.; McColloch, L. P. and Wright, R. C., 1960, Cabbage, Celery, Lettuce and Tomatoes, Laboratory Test of Storage Methods, Market Research Report No. 402, U.S.D.A. Rigid-When-Wet Corrugated Chemically Treated Now Wax, 1970, Boxboard Containers, 78:33,l78. Stout, B. A., Ries, S. K. and Barker-Arkema, F. W., 1968, Handling Tomatoes in Pallet Boxes, Market Research Report No. 802, U.S.D.A. 56 "I11111147111114lilies