ANZDL SOLVES EQUATOR EQUATION IN SHIPPING AUSTRALIAN CITRUS

ANZDL SOLVES EQUATOR EQUATION IN SHIPPING AUSTRALIAN CITRUS    Australia New Zealand Direct Line said year-long trials produced a solution for Australian citrus exporters using the 'cold sterilzation' process to meet U.S. stringent quarantine requirements and reduce rejection rates.
   In its trials, ANZDL found that through constant monitoring, the citrus cargo's temperature fluctuated by about 6 percent when the vessels crossed the equator, which created problems when the citrus arrived in the United States for distribution to importers.
   Cold sterilization requires that fruit and its packing be refrigerated for up to 22 days at less than 2.22 degrees Celcius. Probes inside the containers monitor the temperature and variations of even 0.01 degrees above means the whole shipment is rejected.
   The U.S.'s tough restrictions has meant that rejections rates have gone as high as 85 percent for Australian citrus exports. The U.S. restrictions are implemented after detection of the fruit fly in 1999.
   Rejected fruit is either sent to other markets or returned to Australia, which means that more often than not, the fruit spoils before arriving.
   ANZDL recommended to its citrus shippers that they pack their fruit and start the cold sterilzation process a minimum of one week prior to sailing so it was completed by the time the vessel reaches the equator.