The Complete Guide to Janny MT Post-Harvest Modules: The Lidded Bin That Lets You Sell When the Price Is Right, Not When the Fruit Starts to Rot
Update (October 2026): Run a packhouse or export business? Read Janny MT for exporters and distributors: wider shipping windows, fewer rejected loads and a simple trial plan.
Rain hit at cherry harvest, and good cherries became hard to find. But one grower, Mr. Brosse, said he still had them.
He had stored them in Janny MT controlled-atmosphere bins. A 2013 FreshPlaza report said he was the only one offering high-quality cherries after the rain, and his stock let him keep selling.
So what is a Janny MT post-harvest module? It is a 610-litre plastic pallet bin with a special lid. The lid's membranes let your produce create its own "slow-down" atmosphere inside an ordinary cold room. No gas tanks, no machines. And yes, you can get one: from Janny MT in France, from its authorised distributors, and, for South East Asia and wider Asia, from Bloopy Durians in Malaysia.
The Short Answer
|
This guide is written by Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun. He grows durians in Bentong, Malaysia, and uses these modules on his own fruit.
Why Post-Harvest Loss Is the Leak Nobody Talks About
Farmers fight for every kilo in the field, then lose a big share after harvest. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 13.3% of the world's food was lost between harvest and retail in 2023. For fruits and vegetables, the figure was 25.4%.
Think about it. You pay to grow 100 kilos, then you sell 75. And when everyone harvests at once, prices fall. If you cannot hold your crop, you sell at the bottom of the market. We covered how that squeezes farm income in why crop prices keep falling and how farms fill the gap, and how it drains your bank balance in farm cash flow problems.
A post-harvest module attacks both leaks at once. It cuts loss, and it gives you a choice about when you sell.
What Is a Janny MT Module?
Janny MT is a French company based in Péronne, in the Burgundy region. It has sold its modular storage system since 2009, and its history goes back to the first membrane bag trials in 1998.
By the company's own count, more than 100,000 controlled-atmosphere modules have been sold. A 2021 FreshPlaza report put its customers in 35 countries, and the company says its modules are in use on every continent. It also set up a US subsidiary, JMT US, in 2015.
Each module has two parts:
The bin: A tough food-grade plastic pallet box of 610 litres, about 100 x 120 cm and 81-83 cm high, with no metal parts.
The lid: A clip-on lid (Janny MT calls it the CA lid; an early version was sold as the Tiempo Cap) with a silicone seal and gas-selective membranes. Removable caps close some membranes so one lid can be tuned to different crops.
The company says bins and lids last 15 years or more, the membranes never need replacing, and there are no consumables to buy.
How It Works, in Plain Words
Fruit and vegetables keep breathing after harvest. The faster they breathe, the faster they ripen, soften and lose water.
Normal air is about 21% oxygen. Cold slows breathing. A low-oxygen, higher-CO2 atmosphere slows it even more. That is "controlled atmosphere" (CA) storage, which big apple stores have used for decades.
You cool the produce in your cold room first.
You clip the lid on and close the right number of membranes with the removable caps.
The produce keeps breathing and uses up oxygen inside the bin.
The membranes let a little oxygen in and a little CO2 out, so the mix settles at about 1-5% of each.
The lid's seal also keeps humidity in, so the produce loses far less water.
No nitrogen tanks, no scrubbers. The produce does the work; the membrane sets the limits.
Reality Check: Cool the produce properly before you close the lid. Janny MT's own FAQ warns that if you don't, oxygen can fall to 0%. Cooling is not optional. |
The Modules and Parts You Will Hear About
Names vary by country and distributor. Here is how they fit together.
Item | What it is | Best for |
CA Module 610H | Lid plus a heavy 3-skid bin made for bin tippers | Bulk fruit like apples and pears |
CA Module 610L | Lid plus a lighter bin on 4 feet | Produce packed in crates |
Green "Cap S" / MT S 610 lid | A higher-flow green membrane lid | Fast-breathing crops: asparagus, mangoes, green beans |
Removable caps | Plugs that close some membranes | Tuning one lid to each crop |
Tiempo Test Silver | Main oxygen and CO2 analyser | Checking the atmosphere in under a minute |
Tiempo Test Green | Lower-cost analyser | Tighter budgets |
Captacal | Add-on for CO2-sensitive varieties | Crops that are hurt by too much CO2 |
UK distributor Dejex lists a working load of 600 kg per bin. Janny MT says empty bins nest three into the space of two. The green MT S 610 lid, launched in 2022, was aimed at fast-breathing crops such as asparagus, mangoes and green beans.
Who It Suits (and Who It Doesn't)
The module was built for growers who are too small, or too varied, for a full controlled-atmosphere room.
It fits you well if you:
Grow produce that sells for more after the glut.
Have a cold room, or can rent space in one.
Sell direct, to shops or to export buyers who want steady supply.
Grow several crops and want one system that switches between them.
Farm organically. Janny MT says organic produce can be stored, with no chemicals added.
It is a poor fit if you:
Have no cold room and no plan to get one.
Sell everything on picking day at a price you like.
Grow an untested crop and have no time for a trial.
Field-Tested Play: Don't buy storage to store everything. Store the slice of your crop that earns the biggest price jump when you hold it. For many growers that is late-season fruit, sold just after the market runs dry. |
Which Crops? The Documented Results
Most sales pages skip this part. Most documented results are for temperate crops: apples, pears, cherries, asparagus, leeks, redcurrants and nuts. Many figures come from Janny MT or trade reports quoting it. The strongest independent result is a three-year Belgian apple trial.
In that trial, CRA-W, a public research centre in Wallonia, scored eight apple varieties on 16 quality criteria. Apples stayed firmer in the modules, weight loss was very low or nil, and a storage rot called gloeosporiosis fell by more than 50% on three susceptible varieties after four months.
But many other indicators showed no statistically proven benefit. That honesty is why you should trust this trial more than any brochure.
In the US, a six-month Michigan State University test with Golden and Ida Red apples, coordinated by professor Randy Beaudry, found module apples lost less weight than those in regular cold storage. In Italy, results of an eight-month Melannurca apple trial were still awaited in June 2025.
Reality Check: For tropical crops like mango, banana, pineapple or mangosteen, we could not find published Janny MT trial results. The maker's own R&D page says its settings "are not yet defined for all fruits, vegetables, flowers, mushrooms." If your crop is tropical, plan a trial before you plan a fleet. |
Janny MT has looked at the tropics. Its EU-funded "Perfect Fresh" study in 2018 named tropical fruits as a target, and its green lid was announced with mangoes in mind. Stephen says the modules can be used for durian, pineapple and mangosteen, and he has tested durians and mangosteens himself. For other tropical crops: promising, but prove it on your farm first.
Benefits for Farmers vs Exporters
The same bin earns money in different ways, depending on where you sit in the chain.
For growers:
Sell after the glut. Mr. Brosse stored his whole cherry crop in the modules so he always had stock to sell. FreshPlaza noted that late cherries can be held until prices rise, instead of sold at harvest when prices are low.
Less shrink. Janny MT says weight loss is held to 1.5% at most, compared with about 10% for apples or cherries in conventional storage.
Destock bit by bit. Each bin is its own small store. Pierre Dancoisne, an organic grower in Picardie with 15 hectares, told Réussir he can take bins out "according to sales" without disturbing the rest.
Steadier direct sales. Your farm shop stays full for longer. See the benefits of selling fresh produce directly to visitors.
For packhouses, exporters and distributors:
Buy time. Extra days give room for inspections, consolidation and buyer schedules.
Keep lots apart. Each module is sealed separately, so fruit from several farms stays separate.
Plan freight. Janny MT says up to 95 modules fit in a 40-foot container, and up to 117 on a truck.
Promise steady supply. Retailers pay for reliability.
Field-Tested Play: Run farm visits? Stored fruit stretches your farm-shop season, giving visitors one more reason to come back. Pair it with 25 proven agritourism income streams. |
Holding Surplus: A Tool for Gluts and Food Security
Every farming region knows the glut: prices crash at peak harvest and good food rots. In Malaysia, the durian sector is dealing with concerns over oversupply and falling prices, a September 2026 FreshPlaza report said. Growers of many other crops, on every continent, know the same story.
Stephen links this to food security. If a country can hold part of a bumper harvest for weeks instead of days, it can smooth supply, cut waste and lean less on imports in lean months.
Modules can be spread out. Co-operatives or government programmes could place them in existing cold rooms near the farms, instead of building one big store. Treat this as a possibility, not a promise: it would still need cold rooms, trained staff and crop-by-crop trials.
For more on weathering bad years, read how to prepare for weather-related risks and the weather backup plan from an apple freeze.
The Limits: What a Module Cannot Do
It needs a cold room. The module makes no cold.
It cannot fix bad fruit. Only healthy produce at the right maturity, preferably dry, should go in.
Don't open it mid-storage. That breaks the atmosphere.
Don't mix varieties in one bin. Watch ethylene too: Janny MT warns apples and kiwis must not share a room.
You need a gas analyser. The company does not recommend going without one.
It is not a full CA warehouse. For huge volumes stored very long, big CA rooms may still win.
Results are crop-specific. A great cherry number says nothing certain about your crop.
Reality Check: Most published figures come from the maker or from trade press quoting the maker. Treat them as a starting point. Your own trial, on your own crop, in your own cold room, is the only number that should decide a big purchase. |
How It Compares With Other Ways to Keep Produce Fresh
No storage method wins everywhere. Here is a fair side-by-side.
Method | How it works | Typical cost and setup | Strengths | Weak spots |
Plain cold room | Low temperature only | You may already have one | Simple, flexible | Normal air (about 21% oxygen); more water loss |
Janny MT module in a cold room | Produce sets its own low-oxygen air through membranes | Per bin; uses your cold room | Small batches, crop by crop, no gas plant | Needs pre-cooling and an analyser; tested mostly on temperate crops |
Full CA room | Sealed room, nitrogen flushing, CO2 scrubbing | Large building and equipment cost | Best for very long, high-volume storage | All-or-nothing: opening the room disturbs the whole lot; air "will not support human life" |
Edible coatings | Thin layer on the fruit slows water and gas exchange | Per tonne; needs a coating line | Works on single fruits, in transit | Must be matched to each fruit; results vary |
1-MCP (ethylene blocker) | Blocks the fruit's response to ethylene | Treatment per room or lot | Strong at slowing softening | May reduce aroma; changes CA settings; rules vary by country and crop |
Big CA rooms are proven: the Global Cold Chain Alliance lists Fuji apples at about 4 months in normal air versus 12 months in CA. But that needs a gas-tight building, nitrogen and scrubbers.
The module brings a slice of that science down to bin size. You can open one bin to fill an order without upsetting the other 50. Methods can also be combined, but check the rules where you sell and test before you rely on it.
What Does It Cost? Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Price depends on country, volume and distributor. As one example, UK distributor Dejex listed a standard 610H module at £455 plus VAT and the green Cap S version at £480 plus VAT when we checked in October 2026. Shipping, duties and the analyser are extra.
Janny MT prices in tiers (1-11, 12-100 and over 100 modules), and its quote form asks for your crop, variety, yearly production and hectares.
Ask yourself: what is one extra week, or month, worth per bin? If holding fruit lifts your price or cuts losses, and the bin lasts 15 years, the maths can add up fast. If you would sell at the same price anyway, it won't.
Field-Tested Play: Before asking for a quote, write down three numbers: what you lose to spoilage now, the price at harvest, and the price four weeks later. They tell you more than any brochure. |
Ask any supplier these questions. This is a practical checklist, not legal, tax or regulatory advice.
Has this crop been tested in the modules? Ask for the trial data, who ran it, and in which country.
What settings do you recommend for my crop? Temperature, kilos per bin, number of open membranes, and the right harvest stage.
Which lid do I need? Standard or the green high-flow lid for fast-breathing crops.
What does the analyser cost, and who trains my staff?
What is the full landed cost? Freight, import duties, taxes and delivery to your farm.
What warranty and support do I get, in my time zone?
Are you an authorised distributor for my country? Ask to see it in writing.
What food-contact and plant-health rules apply to storing and exporting this crop in my market? Check with your own authorities too.
Can I start with a small trial lot? A handful of bins before a full order.
Exporting? Our guide on competing with cheap imported produce shows why quality and timing beat price wars.
How to Run a Fair Trial on Your Own Crop
Pick one crop and one variety. Don't mix.
Split one harvest in two. Same field, same day, same maturity.
Store half in modules, half in your normal cold room. Same room and temperature if you can.
Pre-cool first, then seal. Follow the supplier's settings for kilos per bin and membranes.
Check the gas often at first. Then less often once it settles.
Pull samples on set days. For example, day 7, 14, 21 and 28 for a short-life fruit.
Score what buyers care about. Weight, firmness, colour, rot, taste, price offered.
Air out before sale. Janny MT advises 12-48 hours opened in the cold room.
Write it all down. Your notes become your sales proof.
Field-Tested Play: Ask a buyer to taste both halves blind. A buyer who picks the stored fruit is the best proof you can take to a bank or co-op. |
Where to Get Janny MT Modules
Anywhere in the world: Start with Janny MT in Péronne, France, which has a quote form on its website and says it can deliver to any country its transport partners serve.
Through authorised distributors: Examples include Dejex in the UK and Kühling in northern and western Germany (appointed from 2023). Janny MT also set up a US subsidiary, JMT US, in 2015. Always confirm a distributor is authorised for your country.
South East Asia and Asia: Bloopy Durians in Malaysia holds the rights to distribute and sell Janny MT modules and can supply them to various countries in South East Asia and Asia.
The Bloopy Durians Story
Bloopy Durians is Stephen's durian farm in Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia. It welcomes visitors from all over the world, and many companies send their staff and management to the farm.
Durian is hard to hold. A 1997 Thai study found durians kept only about 10-15 days in cold storage, depending on maturity and temperature.
Stephen says he is the first to test the Janny MT module in Malaysia for durians. In his own test at Bloopy Durians, he found the module can extend durian shelf life by 5-10 days. That is his field finding, not a published study, and results will vary with variety, maturity and handling.
Why does that matter? Since June 2024, Malaysia may send fresh durians to China, its main durian market; before, only pulp, paste and frozen whole fruit could go. Every extra day of freshness gives exporters more room. Stephen believes the module suits durian export to China.
Stephen says the module is new to Asia and can hold many types of produce, including durian, pineapple and mangosteen, during oversupply.
Read how Stephen built his farm's visitor side in how a 4WD adventure ride brought revenue to my durian farm, and see why premium durian partnerships win VIP guests. For the bigger picture in Malaysia, see Malaysia's Taste of Orchard agrotourism packages.
Talk to Stephen About Janny MT Modules Growers, packhouses, exporters and distributors in South East Asia and Asia can ask Stephen about supply. WhatsApp Stephen 017-9250613 (+60 17-925 0613) · www.bloopydurians.com |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Janny MT post-harvest module?
It is a 610-litre plastic pallet bin with a clip-on lid fitted with gas-selective membranes. Inside a cold room, your produce uses up oxygen and the membranes keep oxygen and carbon dioxide at about 1-5%, which slows ripening and water loss.
Do Janny MT modules need electricity or gas tanks?
No added gas. The module uses no power itself, but it must sit inside a powered cold room.
How much longer will my produce last?
It depends on the crop: cherries about 7 to 25 days (company figures), apples 120 to 210 days (Belgian trial). Stephen's own durian test found 5-10 extra days, and his mangosteens lasted up to 18 days. Test your own crop first.
Can I use Janny MT modules for tropical fruit like mango, pineapple or mangosteen?
Janny MT launched a higher-flow green lid for fast-breathing crops, including mangoes. Stephen's own test on mangosteens at Bloopy Durians found they lasted up to 18 days, and he says the modules can be used for pineapple too. We found no published trial results for these crops yet, so run a trial first.
How much does a Janny MT module cost?
Prices vary by country and volume. As a public example, a UK distributor listed the standard module at £455 plus VAT in October 2026. Janny MT prices in volume tiers (1-11, 12-100 and over 100 modules). Ask for a landed quote.
Are the modules suitable for organic farms?
Janny MT says organic produce can be stored, and the system adds no chemicals. In a separate Belgian apple trial, storage rot fell by more than half on three susceptible varieties.
How long do the modules last?
Janny MT says its bins and lids last 15 years or more, the membranes never need replacing, and there are no consumables.
Where can I buy Janny MT modules?
Worldwide, from Janny MT in France or its authorised distributors. In South East Asia and Asia, Bloopy Durians in Malaysia holds the rights to distribute and sell the modules. WhatsApp Stephen on +60 17-925 0613.
Your Next Step
Storage is one way to earn more from what you already grow. Visitors are another. See where your farm stands with the free quiz, then grab the blueprint.
P.S. Remember Mr. Brosse's cherries after the rain? His edge was not a bigger crop. It was having good fruit in store when others were struggling to offer it. That is what a post-harvest module really sells: the chance to choose your selling day. If you're in South East Asia or Asia and want modules for your crop, WhatsApp Stephen on 017-9250613.
Sources
Janny MT, company page and key figures (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://www.jannymt.com/entreprise/qui_sommes_nous.htm
Janny MT, controlled atmosphere concept (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://www.jannymt.com/atmosphere_controlee/presentation_concept.htm
Janny MT, FAQ (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://www.jannymt.com/faq.htm
Janny MT, research and development (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://www.jannymt.com/atmosphere_controlee/recherche_developpement.htm
Janny MT, quote request (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://www.jannymt.com/atmosphere_controlee/devis.htm
FreshPlaza, "France: Janny MT increasing performance" (28 Jan 2013): https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/2105400/france-janny-mt-increasing-performance
FreshPlaza, "CA bins preserve cherries for 25 days" (31 May 2013): https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/2109764/ca-bins-preserve-cherries-for-25-days/
FreshPlaza, "Extend shelf life with innovation" (3 Apr 2012): https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/2094869/extend-shelf-life-with-innovation/
Réussir Fruits & Légumes, "Dossier pomme: la conservation intelligente en palox" (2 Nov 2018): https://reussir.fr/fruits-legumes/dossier-pomme-la-conservation-intelligente-en-palox
CRA-W presentation, ITAB technical day (25 Jan 2018): https://itab.bio/sites/default/files/medias/fichier/2025/08/jt-fl-2018-conservation-fruits.pdf
National Fruit Show, "JANNY MT Controlled Atmosphere" (12 Mar 2021): https://nationalfruitshow.org.uk/janny-mt-controlled-atmosphere/
FreshPlaza, "We always want to be close to the grower" (16 Apr 2021): https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9312527/we-always-want-to-be-close-to-the-grower/
FreshPlaza, "New module to better meet the needs of producers" (4 Apr 2022): https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9415759/new-module-to-better-meet-the-needs-of-producers
Interempresas, new module for high-respiration produce (12 Apr 2022): https://www.interempresas.net/Horticola/386138-Un-nuevo-modulo-para-conservar-productos-frescos-con-alta-intensidad-respiratoria.html
Dejex, Janny MT 610H module, grey cap (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://dejex.co.uk/products/JANNY-MT-610H-STORAGE-MODULE-CAP-GREY.html
Dejex, Janny MT 610H module, Cap S green (accessed 28 Oct 2026): https://www.dejex.co.uk/products/JANNY-MT-610H-STORAGE-MODULE-CAP-S-GREEN.html
Fruit Growers News, "Janny MT tests cold storage bins with Michigan apples" (6 Apr 2016): https://fruitgrowersnews.com/news/janny-mt-tests-cold-storage-bins-michigan-apples/
FreshPlaza, Kühling to distribute mini CA storage systems (21 Nov 2022): https://www.freshplaza.com/europe/article/9479725/mini-ca-storage-systems-provide-a-natural-controlled-atmosphere-in-existing-cold-storages/
FreshPlaza, "A Franco-Italian partnership to promote the Melannurca apple in new markets" (3 Jun 2025): https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9737595/a-franco-italian-partnership-to-promote-the-melannurca-apple-in-new-markets/
European Commission CORDIS, project 808961 "Perfect Fresh": https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/808961
FAO, SDG indicator 12.3.1 global food losses: https://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals-data-portal/data/indicators/1231-global-food-losses
University of Maryland Extension, "Controlled atmosphere storage of apples": https://www.extension.umd.edu/resource/controlled-atmosphere-storage-apples
Global Cold Chain Alliance, "Apples, Controlled Atmosphere Storage", Commodity Storage & Handling Manual (rev. 2024): https://www.gcca.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Apples-Controlled-Atmosphere-2024.pdf
Alemu, Intipunya and Gebeyo, "A comprehensive review of edible coatings for postharvest management of fruits and vegetables", Discover Agriculture 3:190 (2025): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44279-025-00348-8
Malay Mail, fresh durians allowed for export to China (19 Jun 2024): https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/06/19/mat-sabu-malaysias-fresh-durians-now-allowed-for-export-to-china/140493
FreshPlaza, "Malaysian durians reach China fresh after 12-day sea shipment" (22 Sep 2026): https://www.freshplaza.com/oceania/article/9875559/malaysian-durians-reach-china-fresh-after-12-day-sea-shipment/
Romphophak, Kunprom and Siriphanich, "Storage of Durians on a Semi-Commercial Scale", Agriculture and Natural Resources (1997): https://li01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/anres/article/view/240803
Written by Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun. Bloopy Durians holds the rights to distribute and sell Janny MT modules in South East Asia and Asia, so Stephen has a commercial interest in this product. Storage results depend on crop, variety, maturity and handling; the durian figure is from Stephen's own test, not a published study. This article is general information, not legal, financial, tax or regulatory advice.
Comments