METHOD OF PRESERVING FRESHNESS OF HARVESTED CROPS, FRESHNESS PRESERVATION DEVICE, REPOSITORY, AND DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20170055538A1
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: OHTA, Takashi, HARADA, Kazuki, AOKI, Shinichi, YAMADA, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 10,098,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/04 Electric or magnetic or acoustic treatment of plants for promoting growth
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/045 with electric lighting
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 7/015 Preserving by irradiation or electric treatment without heating effect
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/266 with corona irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: A23N 15/06 Devices for other treatment of fruit, e.g. marking, maturing, polishing
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

A method of preserving freshness of a harvested crop includes irradiating the harvested crop with blue light and misting the harvested crop with water mist while irradiating the harvested crop with the blue light.

Claims

1. A method of preserving freshness of a harvested crop, the method comprising:

irradiating the harvested crop with blue light; and

misting the harvested crop with water mist while irradiating the harvested crop with the blue light.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising irradiating the harvested crop with one of infrared light and red light after irradiating the harvested crop with the blue light and misting the harvested crop with the water mist.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising irradiating the harvested crop with white light while irradiating the harvested crop with the blue light.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a photon flux density of the blue light is in a range from 0.1 nmol·

m<sup>−

2</sup>·

s<sup>−

1</sup> to 10 μ

mol·

m<sup>−

2</sup>·

s<sup>−

1</sup>, inclusive.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the blue light is radiated for a radiation time of 30 minutes or less.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the blue light has an emission spectrum in a range from 350 nm to 550 nm, inclusive.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein droplets of the water mist have a diameter of 10 μ

m or less.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the harvested crop is one of a vegetable, a fruit, and a flowering plant.

9. A freshness preservation device for preserving freshness of a harvested crop, the freshness preservation device comprising:

a first illuminant that irradiates the harvested crop with blue light; and

a mister that mists the harvested crop with water mist while the first illuminant irradiates the harvested crop with the blue light.

10. The freshness preservation device according to claim 9, further comprising a controller that controls at least one of an intensity and a radiation time of the blue light.

11. The freshness preservation device according to claim 9, further comprising a second illuminant that irradiates the harvested crop with one of infrared light and red light after the first illuminant irradiates the harvested crop with the blue light and the mister mists the harvested crop with the water mist.

12. The freshness preservation device according to claim 9, further comprising a third illuminant that irradiates the harvested crop with white light while the first illuminant irradiates the harvested crop with the blue light.

13. A repository, comprising:

the freshness preservation device according to claim 9; and

a housing that houses the freshness preservation device.

14. A display device, comprising:

the freshness preservation device according to claim 9; and

a shelf for displaying the harvested crop.