Bespoke wash can extend fresh food shelf life – German firm

Some 30% of fruit and vegetables are spoilt in the food chain after harvest, often through bacteria, mould, fungi and rottenness, at a huge cost to supermarkets and importers and distributors of fruit, vegetables and salads, the company said.

Food Freshly spokesman Sukhdev Singh told FoodProductionDaily.com that his company operates across the world.

It had found huge differences between, say Germany and Kenya, in regard to water quality and germs and bacteria present in water used to process and clean fruit, he added.

Tailored solution​

Therefore, Food Freshly is offering a new service where the wash is tailored to a client’s specific needs.

First of all the firm analyses the water which a client uses to wash its crops, Singh explained.

He said: “This is unique, I don’t think that there is anything similar on the market. And we operate all around the world.”​

The company then clients advises on the concentration of its chloride and sulphite free germ-freeing agent Fruit Cleaner Antiox to be used, and how long to leave produce in washing tanks.

By adding this pre-sanitiser, external contaminants on the products are eliminated and particles that are otherwise carried up to final packaging can be removed, according to Food Freshly.

Singh said that clients often use several immersion tanks in processing plants, but that process water inside became polluted with germs after a short period and has to be changed several times a day.

Germ-freeing agent​

By adding the germ-freeing agent, Fruit Cleaner Antiox, this processing water could be kept germ-free for up to 12 hours, according to the company.

After products have been cut they are put in another immersion tank, into which a separate freshness retainer formulated by Food Freshly can be added, which it claims improves shelf-life.

Produced in Germany, the freshness retainers comprise mixtures of minerals, nature-identical acids, vitamins and plant ingredients which are free of sulphite, sugar and without allergens, gmo-free (non-genetically modified organisms), glutamates, lactose and gluten.

These form a special coating on fruit and vegetables.