Citrus packhouse planning
A citrus packhouse is planned around three flows: fruit from bins to cartons, water and chemicals through the wash and wax line, and people and forklifts around both.
Key points
- Exclude birds and rodents: mice pass through 6 mm gaps, rats through 12 mm.
- Replace or seal wooden food-contact surfaces.
- Keep cool rooms dry; clean evaporator drip pans – they harbour Listeria.
- Pre-cool fruit and trucks; truck refrigeration holds temperature, it does not pull it down.
Building and layout
- An enclosed packing area is preferred; open-walled sheds need bird and rodent exclusion.
- Keep the packing area clean, uncluttered and well lit, with shatterproof or covered lights.
- Floors must drain; seal cracks in walls and floors with grout or filler.
- Prevent birds perching on rafters with covers, spikes or sloped caps.
- Clear long grass, weeds and idle equipment from around the building.
- Leave space between equipment and walls for pest inspection.
- Seal doors with rubber strips: mice need only about 6 mm, rats about 12 mm.
Food-contact surfaces
Replace wooden food-contact surfaces with plastic or stainless steel, or seal them with food-safe coatings that are maintained so they do not flake. Include tables, conveyors and brushes in the cleaning schedule, and keep packed cartons off the floor – boxes are restacked several times on the way to the customer and can carry contamination onto clean cartons below.
Wash water
Use potable water, add a sanitiser to recirculated or batch tanks, and check concentration regularly with test strips or an ORP meter. Change water when dirty and clean tanks between uses. Record every check.
Cold storage
Most microorganisms grow slowly below 5 °C, but Listeria monocytogenes grows at refrigeration temperatures. Clean and sanitise walls and floors before the season, use smooth washable panels, keep floors dry and make sure condensate drains straight to the drain. Clean the evaporator drip pans and consider a slow-release disinfectant in them.
Loading trucks
Inspect refrigerated trucks for cleanliness and record the air temperature before loading. Never use trucks that carried animals or contaminated loads. Pre-cool both the fruit and the truck, avoid damage during loading, and label every carton and pallet so the load can be traced.
Management software
A citrus packhouse management system should handle grower intake, degreening and storage rooms, grading by count, packing to retailer and export specs, labels, dispatch and grower statements. Producepak does this without selling or mining your data.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should citrus be stored at?
It depends on the species and market: oranges commonly 3–8 °C, lemons and limes 10–13 °C because they are chilling-sensitive. Follow the protocol for your export market.
Do I need separate areas for export and domestic fruit?
For many export protocols, yes: export-eligible and non-eligible fruit must be kept separate, with traceability from accredited block to load-out.
