The project workshop, "Technological Development and characterization of potential strategies for berry exports: increased post-harvest life and quality," took place with the help of InnovaChile de Corfo, and it will serve as a flashpoint for promoting export.
Chilean berries have been accepted worldwide. Over the past year, exports of
these fruits reached 593 million dollars, according to data compiled by ProChile. 48.5% corresponds to fresh blueberries, followed by frozen raspberries 21.7% and frozen blueberries 15.3%.
Although the berry market is relatively new, it has had an increase in export volume of 34% in one year. The main destinations are the U.S., Holland and the United Kingdom. An important factor to increase the level of exports is to increase the life of the berries, as these fruits have a very high rate of deterioration.
The project Innova Berries is very important, as it seeks to increase the shelf life of fruits post-harvest and contributes to reducing the costs of production and transportation of fruit, generating competitive improvements for export markets, explains Lilian Abugoch James, Engineer in Food and Doctor in Sciences, of the Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, from the University of Chile.
Innova Berries consists of a research, development and innovation, which arises from the idea of using edible berry coatings for export in order to increase its life after being harvested.
Cristian Tapia, alternate director of the initiative. It also has associates as Prinal, Comtesa, Cooperative las Nieves and Valle del|Maule, along with support from the Catholic University of Peru.
The results will be announced today, from 9:00 pm, in the Aula Magna of the faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Chile.