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+0.5 → +4°C

CA stores that hold fruit fresh for months — not weeks.

Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage in Pakistan since 2010 — extending shelf life of apples, mango, kinnow, dates, and other premium produce up to 12 months vs 1–4 months in conventional cold storage. Built with Fruit Control Italiana equipment (GAC 5000 analysis, Swingtherm-BS catalytic ethylene removal, Intelligem IG CO₂ adsorption, PSA nitrogen generators, oxygen scrubbers). Izhar Foster is the first and only CA-store turnkey builder in Pakistan, supporting ULO (Ultra Low Oxygen) and DCA / Swinglos protocols.

Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Stores

Controlled Atmosphere storage is a post-harvest management technique where fresh produce is stored under specific and regulated atmospheric conditions. By precisely controlling four critical components — oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, humidity, and temperature — CA storage slows the natural respiration and metabolism of fresh produce, dramatically delaying ripening, reducing spoilage, and extending shelf life.

How CA works

Oxygen reduction lowers metabolic activity in produce, delaying natural aging.

Elevated CO₂ helps prevent spoilage and the natural breakdown of produce (enzymatic activity).

Nitrogen acts as a neutral filler to maintain precise gas ratios.

Humidity and temperature are precisely regulated to prevent moisture loss and maintain firmness.

What we deliver

Izhar Foster CA stores combine the building envelope (PIR panels, gas-tight insulated doors), refrigeration plant, and the latest gas monitoring, injection, and control systems for precise, consistent atmospheric conditions over the entire storage cycle.

Produce we've built CA stores for

Apples (Royal Gala, Gala Must, Red Delicious), dates (Aseel, Dhakki, Begum Jangi), kinnow and citrus, stone fruit, tomatoes and peppers, leafy greens, and cut flowers. Each crop has a specific atmosphere recipe — and we tune the room around it.

Commercial impact

Extended shelf life (months beyond conventional storage). Quality preservation across firmness, texture, colour, flavour, and nutrition. Increased profitability via reduced spoilage and shrinkage, plus access to off-season markets and export windows that conventional cold storage cannot reach.

Applications

Where controlled atmosphere (ca) stores are used.

Each application has different temperature, hygiene, and compliance demands. We've delivered for all of them.

01+1°C

Apples

Royal Gala, Gala Must — held to April / May

02+0.5°C

Dates

Aseel, Dhakki, Begum Jangi for premium markets

03+2°C

Citrus

Kinnow extended into off-season retail windows

04+1°C

Stone fruit

Peaches, plums, apricots for export

05+1°C

Vegetables

Tomatoes, peppers, brassicas with extended life

06+2°C

Cut flowers

Premium florists and exporters

Frequently asked

Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Stores — questions buyers ask.

The technical and commercial questions we hear most often before a contract is signed.

01How much shelf-life gain can I expect from CA storage?
Crop-specific. Apples typically gain 4–8 months versus conventional cold storage — from 3–4 months in a chiller to 10–12 months in CA. Kinnow gains 3–4 months. Dates gain several months. Stone fruit 2–3×. The gain depends on the crop, variety, harvest maturity, and how precisely the CA recipe is followed.
02What gas levels do you target in a CA store?
Crop-dependent. Standard apple CA runs 2–3% O₂ and 1–5% CO₂ at 0 to +2°C. ULO (Ultra-Low Oxygen) for long-storage apple varieties runs 0.8–1.2% O₂. Kinnow typically runs 5–10% CO₂. Dates run different O₂/CO₂ profiles entirely. We tune the atmosphere recipe to your specific crop and variety — not a generic template.
03Can I retrofit a conventional cold store to CA?
Sometimes — but the room must be effectively gas-tight (most conventional cold stores are not), the door must be hermetically sealed, all cable penetrations sealed, and the CA equipment installed. Often it's more cost-effective to build a purpose-designed CA room with gas-tight PIR panel construction and sealed door from the start, rather than retrofit a standard cold room that was never designed for gas containment.
04How is the CA atmosphere maintained?
Continuous closed-loop monitoring with O₂ and CO₂ sensors (Fruit Control GAC 5000 analyser), automatic nitrogen injection from a PSA nitrogen generator to drive O₂ down, CO₂ scrubbing with Swingtherm-BS activated-carbon scrubbers to hold CO₂ in range, and ethylene scrubbing where required. The Intelligem IG control platform manages all gas streams automatically.
05What is the cost of a CA store in Pakistan?
CA stores cost more than conventional cold stores — the gas-tight construction, hermetic door, and CA equipment (analyser, nitrogen generator, scrubbers) add PKR 8–15 million to a typical project. Indicative total for a 500-tonne apple CA store: PKR 35–55 million. The payback is in shelf-life extension and price premium for export-grade fruit held to seasonal peak. Use our cost calculator for a rough estimate.
06Which crops benefit most from CA storage in Pakistan?
Apples from KPK and AJK benefit most — extending storage from 3–4 months chiller to 10–12 months CA, bridging Pakistan's apple season across the full calendar year. Kinnow from Punjab gains 3–4 months, enabling off-season export. Dates from Khairpur and Turbat gain shelf-life for Gulf export. Mango gains 2–4 weeks with modified atmosphere — less dramatic than apple but valuable for export timing.
07Do you build DCA (Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere) stores?
Yes. DCA stores push O₂ down further than standard CA — to 0.4–0.7% O₂ in some apple protocols — using real-time stress indicators (chlorophyll fluorescence or respiratory quotient) to detect the anaerobic threshold and adjust O₂ automatically. Fruit Control's DCA-CF and Swinglos technologies are available on our CA store builds. DCA extends apple storage 2–4 weeks beyond standard ULO.
New · Tool 8

Want a rough cost estimate? Sales-engineer tool, ±20% band.

Sales-engineer tool that combines sizing with cost output. Editable Izhar margin line. Pakistan-tuned across 12 cities and 24 commodities. Add CA-store equipment scope (nitrogen, ethylene removal, GAC analysis) to your cost estimate.

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