This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Nueva tecnología, a base de ozono y luz ultravioleta, reduce el uso de químicos en cítricos

Companies of the industry citrícola and of goods of skilled team investigate with the support of ainia new effective technologies for the sector

New technology, to base of ozone and ultraviolet light, reduces the use of chemists in citrus fruit

Editorial Interempresas22/03/2012

22 March 2012

Three companies of the industry citrícola (Fontestad, SAT Citrus Valencians and Agriconsa) and one of goods of skilled team (UV Quality consultancy Peschl Spain), investigate with the support of ainia new technological centre effective clean technologies for the sector citrícola. It treats of some systems of treatment poscosecha based in the employment of ozone and ultraviolet light. These are so effective like the conventional systems. They reduce the employment of fungicidas and likewise, the oxidation advanced of the waters poured will attain to regenerate the water used in the treatments for his possible reuse.

The economic losses ocasionadas by the illnesses of poscosecha, constitute at present an important problem in the head offices citrícolas. The big majority of the present rots in oranges and mandarinas during all the process of commercialisation owe fundamentally to 'Penicillium digitatum' and 'Penicillium italicum', causantes respectively of the green and blue rots. At present his control, bases mainly in the application of fungicidas chemical of synthesis that originate an environingingmental impact, by what some European agents demand a reduction in his use.

On the other hand, in the producing companies of juice, the processes of cleaning and disinfection of installations require important consumptions of water and chemical products (detergents, acids, álcalis, desinfectantes) giving place to a high volume of waste water.

Citrus fruit affected by rots.

Ainia technological centre, together with companies of the industry citrícola (Fontestad, SAT Citrus Valencians and Agriconsa) and of goods of skilled team (UV Quality consultancy Peschl Spain), investigates, from the year 2010, the development of technical poscosecha cleaner applied to the industry citrícola. The investigation has centred in three fields interrelated: hygiene of equipment, conservation of product and treatment of the water.

Result of the investigation

The works finalised to scale of laboratory and pilot, allow to conclude the technical feasibility to develop systems of treatment poscosecha based in the employment of ozone and ultraviolet light that, being so effective like the conventional systems, reduce the employment of fungicidas. Likewise, the oxidation advanced of the waters poured will attain to regenerate the water used in the treatments for his possible reuse.

Equally, has checked that the employment of water ozonizada for the cleaning of tanks of juice results so effective like the use of desinfectantes chemical but to base of a lower consumption of desinfectante and water.

Pilot plant of hygiene of ainia technological centre.

As it has aimed Albert Canut, technician of the Department of Quality and Environingingment of ainia technological centre, “the technology developed, will contribute in the near future to: reduce the presence of plaguicidas in the final products and in the waste water; diminish the cost by the no utilisation of chemical products, save water and reduce the management of poured, all this without losing commercial quality of the final product and diminishing the environingingmental impact”.

Advantages of the utilisation of the oxidation advanced

The ozone is a powerful oxidant with an effect bactericida of wide spectrum that does not generate chemical waste since it degrades quickly to give oxygen, and the ultraviolet light (UV) is a germicida that does not have any residual effect neither secondary. Thus, the utilisation of the oxidation advanced, has a high potential to turn into an useful tool for the industry citrícola, mainly by his environingingmental advantages with regard to the fungicidas chemical traditional employees in the treatments poscosecha or the desinfectantes traditional employees in cleaning of installations.