Cold treatment is a special post-harvest handling process for perishables to meet local quarantine requirements (e.g. US Department of Agriculture). It is a means of insect control by exterminating Mediterranean and certain tropical fruit flies and larvae.
This is achieved by maintaining a sufficiently low temperature, uninterrupted for a pre-determined duration of time. Cold treatment protocol includes the number of probes, treatment temperature and duration which vary according to different kinds of fruits and depend on the agreement between the country of export and import.
The use of cold treatment process is to eliminate the need for fumigation and the use of certain insecticides, which may be illegal in some countries due to environmental reasons. In general, cold treatment is primarily applicable for various types of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and is also common for apples, pears, lychees, star fruits, avocados and kiwi fruits.
Rigid adherence of appropriate cold treatment procedures - product pre-cooling, correct loading and packaging, probe calibration and continuous temperature monitoring - is very critical in preventing process failure. To ensure successful cold treatment shipment, dedicated and experienced APL staff will assist and supervise the installation, loading and monitoring during the entire voyage.