Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
SmartFresh extends bananas' shelf life
Bananas are the next to be exposed to SmartFresh technology, according to information provided by Freshinfo. AgroFresh company hopes to repeat the success achieved in apple industry, according to Mr. Marc Tielens, the representative of the company on the exhibition Interpoma 2006.
In the USA the trial shipments of bananas treated with SmartFresh have been already supplied to the largest retail chain Wal-Mart. "If we apply SmartFresh when banana color is ideal for sale, the fruit stays in this condition two days longer than usual", Mr. Tielens says.
The periodical also informs that in Great Britain SmartFresh is also used to extend shelf life of pears, kiwi, avocado and other fruits. At the present moment SmartFresh is registered in various countries to be applied for the storage of pear, persimmon, melon, papaya, mango, tulips bulbs, ornamentals and even tomatoes.
According to information provided by Maxim Yenchenko, the Specialist of the Agricultural Marketing Project, the technology SmartFresh is not officially used even for apple storage in Ukraine. However, the practice shows that the technology provides a certain economic advantage if compared with the controlled atmosphere technology or jointly with it. Applying this technology, Ukrainian entrepreneurs are able to significantly extend the fruit storage capacities even without expensive investments in Controlled Atmosphere equipment, or they can improve the quality of apple storage in CA environment.
The technology SmartFresh will be presented for the first time in CIS countries during the third international conference "Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine 2006. Open Market". You can register for participation online.