Orgacure, an agriculture and food science technology company has succeeded in a scientifically conducted benchmark trial in the US on sliced apples with its patented antimicrobial + antibrowning (All-inOne) solution Orgacure, against other edible-coatings for fresh-cut fruit.
The company claims that in an extensive setup with many replications, retail film packaging and supermarket storage conditions, Orgacure yielded equal antibrowning results as (calcium ascorbate) coatings but with a fraction of the preservatives used and without the processed fruits having the typical off-taste associated with the coatings.
The aim of the trial was to demonstrate that the amount of preservatives in popular and actually healthy (when minimal processed) fresh snack products such as sliced apples can be reduced drastically without sacrificing shelf-life requirements food retailers have with their suppliers.
“Low residues in fresh foods are in the interest of the consumer. As some foods spoil within hours the health benefits would be reversed if (the food) is not properly protected which is now possible without consumers having to ingest non-natural amounts of preservative fresh-cut coatings artificial to the fresh fruits they expect.” says Roger Bierwas, CEO of Orgacure.
To illustrate the impact on economy alone Orgacure consumption in the trial was about a fifth (20%) of the amount needed by the most commercial successful edible fresh-cut coating used in the United States. Translated into profits fresh-cut processors make an 8 percent extra profit with Orgacure as finishing cost for the antibrowning are said to be locked at 10%. “Larger processors can save US$ 1m a year by switching to Orgacure, and it’s easy too, without investing a penny for new equipment.” Roger says.
“With swifter distribution, along with the triumph of digital retail, the requirements towards shelf-life of fresh foods have shifted. The optimal fresh-cut production to consumption leg spreads not longer than 5-10 days, that’s what Orgacure is made for.” Roger says. “If longer, then nutrition, taste and flavor in fresh-cut goes rapidly down so we stop here. Online foods frequently change hands in the rush to the consumer; their exposure to climate changes and the hygienic pitfalls meanwhile making close control of food safety paramount for any company to be able to sustain in this emerging business.”
