Up to 20,000 tons of apples are put into hibernation in the state-of-the-art storage cells of Tobi Seeobst AG in Egnach. Marco Fankhauser, Deputy Head of Supply Processes and Storage Technology at Tobi, is one of the people responsible for the success of this huge undertaking. Since last September, storage capacity has been increased by a further 4,300 tons thanks to new cold storage cells. "The new cold storage cells are even more modern than our previous ones and allow us to monitor the stored apples even more precisely," says Marco Fankhauser, Deputy Head of Supply Processes and Warehouse Technology. Among other things, the fluorescence signal is monitored. "This signal is emitted by the apples when the oxygen content in the cold storage cells is too low."
© Tobi Seeobst AG
View of the modern storage facilities at Tobi Seeobst AG in Thurgau.
"Fruit has a complex metabolism and, just like us humans, it converts oxygen into carbon dioxide. Our storage technology aims to slow down this respiration process by using low temperatures and keeping the oxygen levels as low as possible," says Fankhauser. This technique ensures that the apples harvested in autumn retain their incomparable Tobi crunch over the winter and that Tobi can meet the demand for apples all year round. "The key to this is that we monitor the parameters in the cold stores very closely. If the oxygen level is too low, the apples become nervous and the aging process accelerates rapidly. In addition, the oxygen must be reduced slowly, since the apple must first get used to the new conditions."
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