North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Thomas Olenio" <tolenio@sentex.net>]

Hello,

My cold room has a high and low air vent, so there is regular fresh air  
exchange.  Little risk from leaking CO2 there.

I would hope the CO2 could be trapped and sealed in whether a person used  
large plastic bags, or plastic boxes with air tight lids.

I would only open one bushel of apples at a time, leaving others  
undisturbed with CO2 pooled inside.

Just a thought.

Later,
Tom


On Sun, 11 Sep 2005 12:09:39 -0700, Stephen Sadler <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>  
wrote:

> People are certainly working on CO2-based storage.  It works great, but  
> hard
> to do at home and keep the CO2 from being displaced by O2 when you get
> access to the food.  And a little dangerous, as I say in the last  
> paragraph.
>
> CO2 does like to stay low and pooled, but I don't know if the  
> bioactivity of
> the apples and the permeability of the bag would allow levels to stay  
> high
> enough to give you longer storage.  You could do an experiment and see  
> how
> it goes.
>
> If I were to try, I think I might try a plastic-lined crate, put some dry
> ice in and wait, with the lid open, for the CO2 to displace the air, and
> then add my apples and close the lid.  With a chest-type box, you should  
> be
> able to grab some apples without disturbing the atmosphere.
>
> One caution when trying any of this - CO2 is odorless and gives you no
> oxygen.  You can become affected (disoriented and dizzy) by high CO2  
> levels
> in four seconds, and unconscious in 12, maybe less.  So don't even so  
> much
> as stick your nose near a container of CO2 without taking a deep breath  
> of
> real air first and holding it in.
>
> Stephen Sadler, Ph.D.
> USDA 9, AHS heat zone 8,
> Sacramento CA - Mediterranean climate
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Olenio
> Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 11:19 AM
> To: North American Fruit Explorers
> Subject: [NAFEX] Apple Storage?
>
> Hello All,
>
> I understand that commerical apple storage uses a carbon dioxide
> environment.
>
> Could a family cold room, or root cellar do this as well?
>
> Put the bushel of apples in a lawn/leaf plastic bag, set off a
> carbondioxide bomb  in the bag (baking soda/ vinegar in 2 liter bottle),
> hold the plastic bag up to hold the CO2, remove CO2 bomb, then close
> plastic bag tightly.
>
> Not sure if the CO2 will stay pooled in the plastic bag, or if it would
> help storage.
>
> Anyone know?
>
> Thanks,
> Tom



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