ROYSTON, UK - Packaging innovator Johnson Matthey is propelling fresh fruit forward with its Xtend® modified atmosphere packaging. The company’s latest developments are ensuring that fresh fulsome apples, pears, and blueberries make it through the supply chain and onto consumers’ plates.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the produce industry is: to make sure that produce reaches the consumer in prime condition and that global wastage is kept to a minimum,” explained Dr. Gary Ward, Technical Development Manager at Johnson Matthey, in a press release. “Johnson Matthey identified shelf-life extension of fresh produce as a global challenge it could help address through technology competencies and expertise in atmosphere control.”
The company’s Xtend packaging for apples and pears is designed to reduce oxygen and increase carbon dioxide and humidity in the headspace surrounding produce. When combined precisely, the combination of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide inhibits fruit softening, skin bruising, browning, and fungus decay, while the high humidity reduces weight loss and shriveling—maintaining apples’ and pears’ fresh appearance and texture.
The company noted that its product is a persuasive alternative to controlled atmosphere (CA) in small-scale operations and for long-distance shipments after storage. The product is unparalleled in maintaining the aroma of fresh fruit and can be implemented throughout the entirety of the supply chain.
And with blueberries becoming more and more popular, Johnson Matthey noted that its Xtend packaging system is excellent for preserving the delicate berry’s desired firmness, and inhibiting fungal decay during long-distance travel.
Because blueberries are particularly sensitive to extremes of carbon dioxide concentration, packaging design and postharvest handling are crucial for this key crop.
Xtend® packaging modified atmosphere bulk packaging for blueberries is growing in popularity amongst blueberry exporters in numerous countries—including Chile, Peru, Morocco, Spain, and Poland—because of the packaging’s ability to provide optimal modified atmosphere conditions and also manage condensation during prolonged shipment, thereby reducing decay and preserving firmness.
The company’s specially-designed lidding film can also replace clam shells, and as the company noted in its press release, its open top punnets and punnets covered with macro-perforated lidding film can even provide additional shelf-life at the end of the supply chain—at supermarkets and in consumers’ homes.
For more on this and other innovative companies in the produce industry, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
