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Controlled atmosphere and cold storage in the UAE
Arkan Integrated Systems designs, supplies and commissions industrial cold rooms, controlled atmosphere (CA) and ultra low oxygen (ULO) storage for importers, distributors and packhouses across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
What is controlled atmosphere (CA) storage? Controlled atmosphere storage is a refrigeration technique that lowers oxygen and raises carbon dioxide inside a sealed cold room to slow the respiration of fruit and vegetables. Compared with standard refrigeration, CA storage extends shelf life by roughly 2 to 10 times depending on the crop.
CA, ULO and standard refrigeration compared
| Parameter | Standard cold room | Controlled atmosphere (CA) | Ultra low oxygen (ULO) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxygen level | Ambient, about 21% | Reduced, typically 2 to 5% | Below 1% |
| What it controls | Temperature and humidity only | Temperature, humidity, O₂ and CO₂ | Temperature, humidity, O₂ at the physiological limit |
| Typical use | Short rotation, fast moving stock | Season extension for mixed produce | Long term storage of apples and pears, up to 12 months |
| Room requirement | Insulated envelope | Gas tight envelope, gas management plant | Gas tight envelope, tighter tolerances, continuous monitoring |
What Arkan supplies
- CA and ULO cold rooms with gas tight construction
- 0/+2℃ fresh produce chambers
- Blast chillers and tunnel cooling systems
- Modular compressor packs
- Telemetric monitoring and automation
- Modular cold rooms, isothermal sandwich panels, isothermal doors and rapid doors
Controlled atmosphere plant components
- Nitrogen generators for oxygen pull down
- CO₂ absorbers (scrubbers) to hold carbon dioxide inside the target band
- Ethylene scrubbers to slow ripening and prevent cross ripening between chambers
- Continuous gas analysis with alarm thresholds per chamber
Who this is built for
Fresh produce importers and wholesalers, dates producers and packers, foodstuff trading companies with reefer and ripening capacity, cold storage 3PL operators, retail distribution centres and food processing plants. Typical projects across UAE and Saudi Arabia combine a gas tight room envelope from Incold with a controlled atmosphere plant from Marvil Engineering.
Why controlled atmosphere matters in the Gulf
Produce arriving in the GCC has already spent time in transit, so the remaining commercial life on arrival is short. Controlled atmosphere storage moves the decision of when to sell away from the clock and back to the market: stock can be held through a price dip instead of being cleared at a discount, and shrinkage on slow moving lines drops.
How a project runs
- Technical assessment. Product mix, target storage duration, volumes, site constraints and available power.
- Design. Chamber sizing, gas tightness specification, refrigeration and CA plant selection.
- Supply. Panels, doors, refrigeration and CA equipment sourced through the Italian manufacturing partners.
- Commissioning. Gas tightness testing, plant start up, calibration of gas set points per product.
- Support. Maintenance, spare parts and operator training.
Frequently asked questions
What is controlled atmosphere (CA) storage?
Controlled atmosphere storage lowers oxygen and raises carbon dioxide inside a sealed cold room to slow the respiration of fruit and vegetables. It extends shelf life by roughly 2 to 10 times compared with standard refrigeration, depending on the crop.
What is the difference between CA and ULO storage?
CA storage typically holds oxygen between 2 and 5%. ULO (ultra low oxygen) storage holds oxygen below 1%, which is used for long term storage of apples and pears for up to 12 months. ULO requires tighter room construction and continuous gas monitoring.
Can an existing cold room be converted to controlled atmosphere?
Sometimes. The limiting factor is gas tightness: a standard cold room leaks too much to hold a controlled atmosphere. Conversion requires sealing the envelope, fitting gas tight doors and adding the gas management plant. Arkan assesses the existing structure before proposing conversion or replacement.
Which countries does Arkan cover for cold chain projects?
Arkan Integrated Systems is based in Dubai and delivers cold chain and controlled atmosphere projects across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
Who manufactures the equipment?
Cold room envelopes, isothermal sandwich panels, isothermal doors and rapid doors come from Incold. Controlled atmosphere plant, including nitrogen generators, CO2 absorbers and ethylene scrubbers, comes from Marvil Engineering. Arkan is the official Middle East partner for both.
Request a technical assessment
Send the project type, capacity or volume, location and target commissioning date. Arkan replies with a scoped technical proposal.
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