Two Citrus Growers. Two Different Solutions. The Same Outstanding Result.

Micro-organisms and gases in the air can quietly destroy valuable shelf life — and in the citrus industry, that translates directly into lost revenue. Over the years, we’ve worked with growers and packers across Australia to design air treatment solutions tailored to their specific produce, facilities, and challenges. Here are two of our favourites.

Project One: A Bespoke UV Bio-Wall for a Lemon De-Greening Facility

Penicillium digitatum — the mesophilic fungus responsible for post-harvest green mould in citrus — can devastate an entire batch if it enters a de-greening room through the outside air supply. To eliminate that risk, we designed a bespoke UV Bio-Wall system and retrofitted it into the client’s existing HVAC ductwork.

The 24″ UVC Bio-Wall sits inside a 1 metre × 200mm aluminium cylinder engineered for maximum internal reflection, transitioning into the existing PVC duct via custom flanges. The Bio-Wall section is removable and chain-tethered for safe servicing at height, and all lamps are Teflon-coated so the quartz stays contained in the unlikely event of a breakage — critical in a food environment. The system is monitored 24/7 with remote control, fault alerts, and automated lamp-replacement notifications at the 17,000-hour mark.

The result: in a single air pass, the Bio-Wall achieves a minimum 99.67% inactivation rate — effectively eliminating airborne Penicillium digitatum before it ever reaches the fruit.

Project Two: Airsteril ULT Systems Save a Lime Harvest During the Queensland Floods

A different grower. A different fruit. The same principle: control the air, protect the product.

When the recent floods swept through Queensland, lime growers in the north were cut off from market. The moment roads reopened, stranded stock was rushed to market all at once — supply flooded, prices crashed.

One of our customers found himself in a very different position. Some time earlier he’d invested in three Airsteril ULT systems through us. As the market chaos unfolded, he installed all three units into the single large storeroom holding his lime stock and switched them on.

Limes naturally release ethylene gas as they ripen — the trigger that accelerates ageing and lets mould develop on the skin. The Airsteril ULT systems produce ozone, which oxidises ethylene in the air. With three units running, ethylene was neutralised as fast as the fruit could produce it. Ripening stalled. Mould never developed.

The result: his limes stayed market-fresh. While the rest of the market sold into the glut at low prices, our customer held his stock back for an additional twelve days. By the time he released, supply had thinned and prices had resettled — and he sold his entire harvest at a significantly higher price per kilo than those forced to sell early. The three ULT systems paid for themselves many times over in a single twelve-day window.

The Common Thread

Different fruit, different facilities, different technologies — but the same underlying principle. Whether it’s destroying airborne fungal spores with UVC Bio-Walls or neutralising ethylene with ozone-generating ULT systems, our work is about understanding the specific threat to the product and designing the right solution to defeat it.

That’s the experience we bring to every project.