Star Cool rises to a prickly challenge

Known throughout Asia as “the king of fruits”, durian is a selective tropical delicacy in its home territory of SE Asia and China. With its intensely pungent odour, this tropical fruit seems to repel as many people as it attracts. Its smell can be so overpowering that it has been banned from many hotels, taxis, and subways, yet fans can travel far on “durian holidays” to feast on the yellow flesh.

Many people swear by its virtues and it is widely consumed and used in regional culinary traditions. This ensures strong demand for this unusual fruit across SE Asia, meaning that it is often transported fresh over long distances by road and sea. Therein lies another problem.

High respiration meets high ambient temperature

Durian has extremely high respiration, meaning that it generates a great deal of heat and consumes O2 and releases CO2 in large quantities. Like all respiring produce, respiration rate is relative to temperature, making it important to rapidly cool the cargo to set point to reduce respiration.

When 18 tonnes of durian have been packed into a 40’HC reefer at an ambient temperature of 30°C or more, the heat generated by the fruit can often exceed the reefer’s total refrigeration capacity. The result is spoiled cargos and financial losses for the dealer and transport company.

A classic challenge for Star Cool

Although the fruit is not native to Thailand, around half of the world’s total annual harvest is grown there. The majority of durian fruits exported from Thailand are not pre-cooled prior to loading. Selection, sizing, packaging and stuffing are all carried out in open-air warehouses without refrigerated storage or pre-cooling. A classic challenge for Star Cool, if ever there was one.

However, Star Cool was not well received initially by local exporters. The reefers were perceived as more susceptible to hot stuffing, high load and high ambient temperature conditions. Unreliable local gensets also unfairly influenced Star Cool’s reputation. MCI’s engineering team went to work to optimise the operating software for durian carriage conditions which have now become a standard test criteria for extreme loading.

Adapting to tough local conditions

Chai Fong and it’s affiliated transport company, Win Wind Transport, were founded by Mr Huang Wen-Chun and Ms Piyawan Yangchana in October 2004. From its base in Chonburi, Thailand, the company specialises in the road transportation of fresh produce, especially durian, and to China in particular.

Star Cool is our workhorse reefer. They cool fast and consume less power across the 75-85 hour transport window than containers from other brands.

Huang Wen-Chun, co-founder of Chai Fong and Win Wind Transport