Evaluation of a Modified Atmosphere Packaging System to Increase Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Shelf Life for Extended Military Supply Chains

Abstract

This report documents the evaluation of a case level Modified Atmosphere Packaging System (MAPS) designed to extend product shelf life of military fresh fruit and vegetables (FF&V). Three key items - iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, and broccoli crowns - were tested in the Pacific Region Guam supply chain. Due to longer total distribution times and/or less frequent end customer deliveries, some military FF&V supply chains require "extra" product shelf life than that provided by standard commercial product pack and supply chain procedures. Examples include: resupply of Navy platforms at sea; United States to Pacific Region surface supply chains; and deployment supply chains (e.g. Afghanistan and Iraq). Evaluation goals were to evaluate the potential benefits of the case level MAPS in terms of "extra" product shelf life, higher product quality/freshness at consumption, and reduced supply chain product losses/discards as a function of product post harvest age. This report documents the test objectives and scope, data collection methods, and evaluation results, and provides conclusions and recommendations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 24, 2012
Accession Number
ADA557829

Entities

People

  • Harry Kirejczyk
  • Jeremy Whitsitt

Organizations

  • United States Army Soldier Systems Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Cyber
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Age Groups
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Atmospheres
  • Controlled Atmospheres
  • Data Sets
  • Deployment
  • Food
  • Logistics
  • Military Supplies
  • Packaging
  • Shelf Life
  • Standards
  • Supply Chain
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Methods
  • United States
  • Vegetables

Readers

  • Industrial Economics
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.