Abstract: In a method and apparatus for controlling the ripening of fresh fruit, a stack of fruit boxes is spiral wound with a transparent synthetic resin strip around the four vertically oriented faces of the box stack. The boxes within the stack have openings on their upper and lower faces which register with corresponding openings in vertically adjacent boxes to permit a vertical movement of an air-ethylene mixture through the stack. A plastic cap or lid is disposed on top of the stack of boxes and is provided with a blower for drawing air vertically through the stack from the bottom thereof. An air-conditioning unit and an ethylene containing bottle may be disposed in a unit on which a pallet supporting the stack of boxes rests. Effluent air or a mixture of air and ethylene is fed back to the air-conditioning unit via a conduit on the outside of the wrapped stack of boxes.

Abstract: The disclosure is related to a method and apparatus for controlling the ripening of fresh produce, particularly the ripening of fresh fruit such as bananas. The fresh produce is arranged into a palletized load which is inserted into a ripening chamber. The palletized load is arranged into two spaced rows, each of said rows including two vertically spaced tiers to maximize the total amount of produce to be processed for the given floor space of the ripening chamber. A low pressure plenum is formed between the two rows of palletized produce by sealing the space between the rows and the vertical space between the two tiers. A controlled fluid flow is introduced around the palletized produce load and fluid is exhausted from the low pressure plenum to create a pressure differential across the produce load such that the introduced fluid is forced to flow from the space around the produce load, uniformly through the produce load and into the low pressure plenum.