Hazel Technologies, Inc. announces a successful trial on California-grown table grapes in conjunction with Oppy, a global produce grower, marketer and distributor, and Exeter, CA-based grower/packer/shipper, Brar Farms. During and after testing, Oppy quality personnel found that the table grapes treated with Hazel Tech’s flagship technology, Hazel 100™, at Brar Farms showed demonstrably greener stems in all trial samples taken.
The trial consisted of three tests on two California-grown varieties: Autumn Royal and Autumn King. Commercial scale samples of each variety were removed from cold storage and placed in ambient temperature storage to simulate retail conditions.
At the 45-day mark, the Autumn King grapes protected by Hazel 100 saw 23 percent more green stems in the box while the Hazel 100-protected Autumn Royal grapes saw 47 percent greener stems in the box. With Hazel 100, domestic growers, packers, shippers and retailers are able to protect fresh table grape quality for longer and reduce losses.
“With each grape variety we grow, we experience a variety of postharvest challenges,” said Hardeep Brar, managing partner at Brar Farms. “Seeing beneficial impacts for both green and black varieties after almost a month and a half in storage was really exciting from both a production and profit perspective.”
“In the end, our goal is to provide the highest quality produce to consumers,” said Marc Serpa, director of domestic grapes at Oppy. “And in the States, grapes are one of the top three fruits at retail, with green grapes being the category favorite. After this trial, we know protecting our grapes with Hazel 100 is providing our retailers with fruit that stays fresh longer.”
“Hazel 100’s USDA-funded, patented time-release technology allows for optimal table grape stem protection,” said Nico Tomicic, business development manager – agtech at Hazel Technologies. “Our trial, as well as data with growers from different production regions and varieties, solidifies the fact that the Hazel 100 sachet is an important new postharvest product on the market for the grape category for suppliers and retailers alike.”
