The Turkish fig has become a staple product for the country, says Baran Baykurt Emiroğlu, CEO & Co-founder of FreshSens: "Türkiye stands as the world's largest producer and exporter of figs. In 2020, Türkiye's fig production spanned 575.000 decares, producing 356.000 tons of figs, with 57,3% of this area in Aydın, yielding an impressive 203,000 tons. Alongside Aydın, İzmir and Bursa are also significant production regions. In 2023, Türkiye became the world's top exporter of fresh and dried figs, achieving $339 million in fig exports and shipping 89.443 metric tons globally. Turkish figs were especially popular in markets like Germany, the United States, and France, with Germany alone importing $59 million worth of figs, totalling nearly 14.000 metric tons."
Storing these figs can be a challenge, but Emiroğlu stands proudly behind his FreshSens technology, extending the shelf life of these figs significantly. "Fresh figs are highly perishable, typically remaining viable for only ten days in conventional storage. This limited shelf life challenges exporters aiming to reach distant markets and maintain quality standards demanded by international buyers. Addressing this issue, we are a technology company specialized in advanced fresh fruit storage and monitoring solutions, and hope to redefine the storage techniques of perishable fruits and vegetables, through innovative methods that reduce postharvest losses and improve supply chain efficiency. Recently, we collaborated with Cherry Fig, a grower of a wide variety of figs, and Perla Fruit, an exporter of Turkish black figs, to demonstrate the impact of our storage technology on extending and predicting the storage time of fresh figs."
Overall, doing these trials with the Turkish fig exporters netted very positive results according to Emiroğlu: "Fresh figs are particularly sensitive to temperature and atmosphere, with a conventional storage time of about ten days. However, our FreshSens technology enabled Cherry Fig & Perla Fruit to store 'Bursa Siyahı' figs for 28 days, while maintaining the fruit's firmness, color, and flavor quality. By retaining the optimal O2 and CO₂ concentrations, FreshSens was able to decelerate the fig's ripening process without the need for chemicals. FreshSens preserved the figs for 28 days, almost tripling their conventional shelf life. Additionally, figs stored with FreshSens also showed ten times less weight loss compared to traditional methods. And importantly, after 28 days, 100% of the FreshSens-stored figs were deemed marketable, while figs in conventional storage showed only 65% marketability after this period."
The figs above have been stored for 28 days, on the left with conventional storing methods, on the right by using the storage technology of FreshSens.
With this storing method, Emiroğlu is convinced that Turkish fig exporters will have various advantages, among the fact food waste will go down: "With our technology, Turkish fig exporters can now address a broader range of logistical and market challenges. FreshSens enables exporters to maintain product quality during longer shipping times, making it feasible to serve markets that were previously out of reach. By extending storage time, FreshSens allows suppliers to enter off-season markets and achieve higher prices. With 100% marketability at 28 days, FreshSens reduces losses due to spoilage, directly impacting the profitability of Turkish fig exports. As demand for fresh and high-quality figs continues to grow globally, we offer fig exporters a technological advantage in the competitive international market," he concludes.
Baran Baykurt Emiroğlu
Cherry Fig Agri Company experimented with FreshSens Technology at the Perla Fruit Facility in Bursa, Türkiye, successfully storing figs for over 30 days while maintaining their harvest-day freshness. "The harvest season for a fig variety like Bursa Siyahı typically lasts around 60 days. During this period, we were able to supply the market when volumes were low and extend the season's final stages. Using FreshSens Technology not only helps extend the season and maintain high quality but also allows for increased profitability by shifting figs from a low-price period to a high-price period," the company stated about FreshSens.
"Looking ahead, we plan to use FreshSens Technology to transport fresh figs over longer distances, particularly to Far Eastern countries, via sea freight in a controlled atmosphere supply chain. This approach will make us more cost-competitive while ensuring excellent product quality," says Mr. Yavuz Taner, Food Engineer (University of Washington) at Cherry Fig Agri Company.
For more information:
Baran Baykurt Emiroğlu
FreshSens
Tel: +90 532 702 7653
Email: [email protected]
www.freshsens.ai