VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA - Partnerships are the bread and butter of the produce industry and Oppy has taken this approach to heart. Partnering with Hazel Technologies, the marketer recently completed a trial of a new shelf-life extension technology for South American red seedless grapes.

“Oppy enjoys an excellent reputation in the market for its unrivalled level of quality control, thanks to our commitment to innovation and technology across our operations,” Oppy’s National Quality Control Manager Patricio Mendoza stated. “The success of this trial is a reflection of our ongoing, focused efforts in being first to market with pioneering technology that adds tangible value to retailers and consumers alike.”

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The goal of the trial was simple: to achieve a higher-quality grape while also maintaining maximum storage life under transit and warehouse conditions. In order to do so, Oppy utilized Hazel Technologies Hazel™ solution, sachets which emit shelf-life enhancing vapors to slow food wastage. Ultimately, the goal is to leave an overarching effect across the supply chain, which would benefit retailers, the environment, and end consumers.

To carry out the trial, certain pallets of grapes shipped from South America to Los Angeles included Hazel’s sachets while others did not. When they arrived, those grapes that had been treated with the solution were crisper, showed no signs of dehydration, and no shriveled fruit.

“Our Hazel for grape partnership with Oppy, the largest importer of South American grapes, demonstrates how impactful our technologies can be in improving sales, reducing food waste, and providing a better eating experience across the globe for consumers of fresh table grapes,” said Aidan Mouat, CEO at Hazel Technologies.

Overall, the trial proved, according to a press release, that the Hazel sachets are effective on varieties with drier stems, although further studies are needed to explore the broader applications of this technology. Areas of future evaluation could focus on the effect of treatment while fruit is in storage and at the store.

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