Articles
Optimizing economic outcomes in organic apple storage via dynamic controlled atmosphere
Article number
1456_5
Pages
29 – 36
Language
English
Abstract
Organically grown apples face challenges in storage, impacting their quality and availability.
This study evaluates the economic impact of employing dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) to improve the storage of organic apples.
This is crucial for mitigating apple disorders in storage, that affect grower profitability.
We employ a two-step method to estimate the economic viability of DCA. First, a comparative analysis evaluated the effectiveness of DCA in preserving apple quality across different storage periods, contrasting with controlled atmosphere (CA) and regular atmosphere (RA) storage technologies.
Subsequently, a three-stage least squares regression analysis identified seasonal price patterns and key factors influencing organic apple prices, enabling monthly price predictions.
Our findings show that the DCA is superior to CA and RA in preserving apple quality for a longer period, especially for organic ‘Gala’ apples (Malus domestica). On average, 83% of organic ‘Gala’ remained sellable under DCA storage, compared to 53% of organic ‘Honeycrisp’ under DCA. Results also indicate that storing both cultivars for longer durations can be economically beneficial, as market prices typically rise during months that are farther from the harvest period.
In sum, DCA has the potential to enhance profitability by maintaining superior apple quality, while its effectiveness may vary by cultivar and pricing seasonality.
This study evaluates the economic impact of employing dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) to improve the storage of organic apples.
This is crucial for mitigating apple disorders in storage, that affect grower profitability.
We employ a two-step method to estimate the economic viability of DCA. First, a comparative analysis evaluated the effectiveness of DCA in preserving apple quality across different storage periods, contrasting with controlled atmosphere (CA) and regular atmosphere (RA) storage technologies.
Subsequently, a three-stage least squares regression analysis identified seasonal price patterns and key factors influencing organic apple prices, enabling monthly price predictions.
Our findings show that the DCA is superior to CA and RA in preserving apple quality for a longer period, especially for organic ‘Gala’ apples (Malus domestica). On average, 83% of organic ‘Gala’ remained sellable under DCA storage, compared to 53% of organic ‘Honeycrisp’ under DCA. Results also indicate that storing both cultivars for longer durations can be economically beneficial, as market prices typically rise during months that are farther from the harvest period.
In sum, DCA has the potential to enhance profitability by maintaining superior apple quality, while its effectiveness may vary by cultivar and pricing seasonality.
Authors
N.J. Cabote, R.K. Gallardo, C.A. Torres, S.P. Galinato
Keywords
apple quality, predicted prices, postharvest, storage duration, storage technology
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