Currently, production and export in many apple-producing areas are facing challenges. Rising inflation rates in the northern hemisphere have caused consumers to switch to cheaper varieties, and the market demand for high-end apple varieties has declined. In the southern hemisphere, hurricanes in New Zealand and hailstorms in South Africa had a considerable impact on local production. In South America, Argentina's apple exports were down year-on-year, with production at its lowest level in recent years.
Under the situation that apple exports from many producing areas are facing challenges, the market demand for preservatives has increased. Shandong Aoweite Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer and exporter of preservatives. Manager Wang from the company shared with us suggestions on apple fresh-keeping management and the advantages of 1-MCP technology for fruit fresh-keeping.
According to Wang, “The key factor to maintain the nutrition and freshness of apples is to control the ripening and aging of apples. Temperature and oxygen accelerate the ripening process. Fungal spores on the skin of apples in high humidity are prone to germinate and cause rot. When the air humidity is too low, the fruit will lose water and shrink.
"In order to maximize the storage time under the premise of ensuring the fruit quality, the following conditions should be met. First, the fruit should be healthy, undamaged and harvested at the optimum harvest time. On this basis, during the post-harvest management of fruits, it is important to strictly control the temperature and humidity of the cold storage, as well as the gas composition, to minimize the respiration of the fruit itself," Wang said. "Whether it is stored in a cold storage or a controlled atmosphere storage, as long as the activity of ethylene is controlled, the storage period of apples can be extended by 3 months while maintaining their nutrition, firmness and taste."
"Ethylene is a gaseous hormone. Mature tissues release less ethylene, while meristems, germinating seeds, withered flowers, and ripening fruits produce more ethylene.
"1-MCP is a competitive inhibitor of ethylene. When 1-MCP is applied before endogenous ethylene production or exogenous ethylene action in plants, it will preemptively bind to ethylene receptors, thereby preventing the binding of ethylene to its receptors, which means the apple ripening process is paused. Only when the fruit leaves the cold storage and is exposed to normal air, the pulp cells will produce new ethylene receptors again, and a series of physiological and biochemical reactions related to ripening will restart. The freshness of the apples has been well preserved during this period. "
"After our Logfresh technology treatment, it only takes 24 hours for the fruit's ethylene receptors to combine with 1-MCP in the cold storage. After 24 hours, the apples in the cold storage can be managed normally, which can effectively reduce the storage diseases of apples, maintain the hardness and crispness of the products, and maintain the color, flavor, aroma and nutritional components.”
When talking about product features, Wang said, "The active ingredient 1-MCP of Logfresh technology is extremely pure, and it is healthy and harmless to the human body and environment. In addition to being suitable for apples, the current product is also widely used in other ethylene-sensitive products."
Shandong Aoweite Technology Co., Ltd. is committed to providing fresh-keeping solutions for major fruit and vegetable suppliers around the world. The company's fresh-keeping products cover the entire agricultural product supply chain.
"Whether it is in the farmer's field, in the cold storage of the warehouse, in the logistics transport vehicle, or in the packaging factory, we can customize according to the customer's demand for product preservation and provide the product that the customer needs," Wang said.
At present, the company's 1-MCP products have obtained registration certificates in Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and other countries, and have cooperated with distributors in many regions. Now it is looking for partners from all over the world.