EUROPEAN IMPORT FACILITIES 45
C Steinweg Handelsveem opts for low temperature storage
ranging review of fumigation practices. This was particularly necessary as the traditional alternative for methyl bromide – phospine – has also attracted adverse publicity. As Henk-Jan Weekhout, a director at C
T
Steinweg Handelsveem BV in Rotterdam explained, there are a number of alterna- tives to fumigation, but the one that C Steinweg Handelsveem has adopted is to regulate the temperature in its warehouses in order to prevent pests present in cocoa from multiplying.
Twin-track approach
In fact, as Mr Weekhout explained, C Steinweg Handelsveem has adopted a twin-track approach to pest control in cocoa. If cocoa arriving from origin is found to be badly infested it is treated in a controlled atmosphere or modified atmos- phere unit supplied by EcO2 in the Netherlands. All of the cocoa that the com- pany stores is then kept in warehouses in which the temperature is not allowed to rise above 10 degrees C. Doing so is advantageous in a number of
respects. As Mr Weekhout explained, apart from controlling any insects that may be present in the cocoa, storing the product at this kind of temperature also ensures that further development of Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) that can adversely affect the quality of cocoa is prevented. "Maintaining a temperature of no more
than 10 degrees C ensures that any insects present in the cocoa remain dormant," Mr Weekhout told C&CI. "Also, in these kinds of conditions, in the unlikely event that any rodents are present, we find that they feed on the insects. They do not consume cocoa."
he phase out of methyl bromide in accordance with the Montreal Protocol and EU regulation has led to a wide-
C Steinweg Handelsveem
first used the low temperature approach to pest control at its facility in Amsterdam, and is now using it at a number of warehouses. Mr Weekhout said he believed that the com- pany was the first in Europe to do so, but said others would undoubtedly follow. "If the cocoa is badly infested when it
With methyl bromide no longer available for use, European warehouses have adopted innovative approaches to
controlling pests in coffee and cocoa
Controlled atmosphere technology can now be applied on a large scale, such as in a silo
arrives the EcO2 units are a very good way of dealing with the problem," said Mr Weekhout. "The technology works by literally sucking the air out of the unit, removing the oxygen, and replacing it with carbon dioxide (CO2). It reduces the level of oxygen in the unit to around 1 per cent, compared to oxy- gen levels in air, which are around 20 per cent. The only problem is that the volume of cocoa you can treat in this way is limited by the capacity of the controlled atmosphere unit."
Chemical-free
approach One of the biggest advantages of the con- trolled atmosphere technique is that it does not require the use of chemicals, although it does of course require a continuous power supply. As a spokesperson for EcO2 explained, one of the biggest problems with fumigants such as phosphine and sulfuryl fluoride is that they can leave a residue on the treated products. Moreover, said the company, pests can evolve to have resist- ance to fumigants, which are also detrimen- tal to human health and the environment. "Controlled atmosphere and heat treatment are being used more and more widely in place of fumigants," said the company. Originally developed to treat products
such as coffee and cocoa when they first enter a warehouse, in the way that C Steinweg Handelsveem uses the technology,
EcO2 has also developed controlled atmos- phere technology for long-term storage of commodities. Using a controlled atmos- phere on a large scale can preserve the quality of a commodity and help to increase its shelf life, said the company. The controlled atmosphere process is
managed by a software programme. Monitoring and controlling the process takes place remotely, and the moisture levels and aroma and flavour characteristics of the product are maintained. C&CI
Gearing up for
certified cocoa Growing demand for certified coffee is forcing warehouses to change the way they store the commodity, according to one well-known company. Speaking to C&CI in March,
Molenbergnatie spokesperson Stefan Poppe said the company was warehous- ing more and more certified organic cof- fee, and more coffee certified by bodies such as UTZ Certified and Rainforest Alliance. "This is an industry-driven trend," Mr
Poppe told C&CI, "but it makes new demands on the logistics chain. We have also seen the volume of certified cocoa growing." In response to increased demand for
organic cocoa, Molenbergnatie is build- ing a new, 16,000m2 warehouse specifi- cally for organic in Antwerp.
May 2011 C&CI
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