Post Harvest Technology to increase life cycle of fresh fruits initially focused in berries
The berries have the highest level of perecibility among all the worldwide commercialized fruits. According to some data the losses in the USA due to the perecibility of the berries is more less 40% of the production, therefore today there are several technologies and research efforts in order to increase the life cycle of post harvest fresh fruits, specially in berries.
Principle of the innovation
Our new technology is developed trough 5 years of private research work; the outputs are focused mainly on raspberries and strawberries, it allows increasing their life cycle to a minimum of 14 post harvest days compared to the 7 post harvest days of the existing technologies.
This extra 7 days time gap gives more time to the logistic of the fresh fruits from the producers till the final consumers and the time of consumption reducing the barriers of time to export the berries and exploit the benefits of the harvest seasons differences at the berries markets.
Our new technology is based at the creation of a controlled atmosphere inside the clamshell of the fruit by using a small sachet with the active ingredients of the invention. This active ingredients are a mix of common, unrestricted and none toxically products. And by separating the sachet of he fruit by the use of a tinny net, the sachet does not have direct contact with the fruits.
The controlled atmosphere at the clamshell does not allow the creation of pathogens controls the ethylene and keeps the optimal level humidity avoiding the fruit dehydrated
The effectiveness of the invention has being tested and certified by the “Universidad de Playa Ancha”, the “Universidad de Chile”, and the National Institute of Agro-research “I.N.I.A” and EuroChile. Also have being tested by sending from Chile packages of fresh berries to U.K, Canada and U.S.A.
No harmful
with human health
Advantages of our Innovation
- Allows more time to all that commercialization chain of the fresh berries.
- In some cases this will mean to change from plane transportation to ships or trucks.
- Allows to the berries producers or major traders to commercialize it as fresh fruits and thereby have much better prices than the prices they might have obtained by selling it as fruit to be frozen, make juices or marmalade.
- Reduces the losses of fresh fruits that occur in all the commercialization chain due to accidental delays or problem with cold chain.
- Assures to that final consumer that the fruit have being protected and not being manipulated during the whole way from the farm to the supermarket.
- Reduces the problems of crossed contamination of the fruits.
- Contributes to fulfil the Montreal protocol to avoid the uses of methyl bromure at least in fresh berries.
- The manufacturing process of sachets and the active ingredients is well known, cheap, and easy.
- Open new opportunities to explore the technology applications in others vegetal and fruits.
Economic Posibilities
The economic possibilities of the innovation are very interesting, because it allows important savings at the commercialization of fresh berries and the possibilities of open new markets.
Considering the global market for fresh berries at 1.500 million kilos (2004), with a value over USD 3.500 million yearly (USDA–USA).
Considering that a sachet per 160 gr clamshell, the whole potential demand at the global market of sachet could be in the best scenery 9.000 million sachets.
Also, the manufacturing process and the raw materials to elaborated the sachets have low costs, are very easy to have access and do not required specialized know how or processes.
Related Downloads
Power Point Presentation (english), compressed as zip file
Long Life Chile® with support from ProChile make it possible to send to Europe, Asia and America fresh raspberries during the high-season work.
