Temperature Monitoring for the Transportation of Fresh Durian

Durian has a high nutritional value. The flesh of durian is rich in nutrients and contains a variety of vitamins. It has a unique taste and is renowned as the "King of Fruits". Meanwhile, durian is extremely susceptible to the influence of temperature during transportation.

In the import and export trade, there are two different types of durian in terms of temperature requirements: fresh durian and frozen durian.

For fresh durian, after being picked, it will be immediately subjected to processes such as cleaning, disinfection, and sorting to remove surface impurities and diseased or pest-infested fruits. Then, the durian is placed in a low-temperature environment for pre-cooling. The pre-cooling temperature is generally controlled around 10°C - 16°C to reduce the respiration and metabolism of durian and extend its shelf life.

Temperature Requirements for Fresh Durian during Transportation:

For example, for Thai durian, during transportation, the temperature is generally controlled at 10°C ~16°C with a complete cold chain distribution. Keeping the temperature within this range allows the durian to continue to ripen during transportation, preventing the occurrence of "dead buds" and ensuring the ripeness and taste of the fruit.

For Malaysian Musang King durian, it also requires a complete cold chain transportation, and the temperature must be constantly controlled between 0°C and 7°C. Because Musang King durian is picked when ripe on the tree, it has less water content and full and delicate flesh, but its shelf life is much shorter compared to frozen durian, so the transportation temperature requirements are more stringent.

Temperature fluctuations during durian transportation have various affect on its quality as follows:

When the transportation temperature is lower than the lower limit of the suitable temperature range for durian, it is prone to causing chilling injury or frostbite. For example, for Malaysian Musang King durian, when the transportation temperature is below 0°C, the flesh cells will be damaged, resulting in the appearance of dents and blackening on the durian peel, and the flesh will change color and taste, with a significant decline in quality. A too-low temperature will inhibit the normal ripening process of durian, making it unable to ripen normally after reaching the destination. The flesh will be hard, not sweet enough, and have a sour and astringent taste, failing to reach the expected edible quality.

When the temperature is too high or there are high-temperature fluctuations during transportation, it will enhance the respiration of durian, accelerate the fruit ripening process, leading to premature over-ripening or even rotting of durian. For example, for Monthong durian, if the transportation temperature is constantly above 16°C and fluctuates greatly, this situation is likely to occur. Higher temperature and temperature fluctuations are conducive to the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. 

A complete cold chain is required during transportation to ensure that the temperature is always maintained within the appropriate range. Using the Fresh Tracker 10 real-time temperature recorder from Freshliance, the temperature of durian during the entire transportation process (the temperature inside the refrigerated container or the refrigerated truck) can be accurately monitored.

This recorder is a high-precision temperature and humidity recorder with LBS base station positioning function. It can detect and record the temperature and humidity (light and vibration can be extended) inside the transportation vehicle/container and record the current location (location based on LBS base station positioning or GPS positioning). The detected data is uploaded to the cloud, and users can view the cargo location, temperature and humidity information, battery level, and alarm information in real time through a mobile app or web browser.

Users can also configure parameters by themselves, set the data upload interval, and fill in the email and phone number for receiving alarm information.

The Fresh Tracker 10 temperature recorder provides comprehensive real-time temperature monitoring for fresh durian producers and export traders, helping users to control every aspect of durian transportation.