Hazel Technologies Inc., Chicago, has seen positive results in trials with its shelf-life extension product on apples.
Hazel sachets are put into bins of apples as they’re moved into storage, and the technology works by reducing the fruit’s respiration. The feedback has been positive from different growing regions, according to a news release.
Brian Ruhoff, chief financial officer at Wescott Orchards, Elgin, Minn., said the product is easy to use. Wescott is part of apple marketer Honeybear Brands.
“It works great for the speed at which we fill rooms,” Ruhoff said in the release. “(There is) no need to do partial applications. We get the same positive results with this new treatment.”
Steve Louis, owner of Oakwood Fruit Farm, Richland Center, Wis., called adopting Hazel for Apples a “no brainer.”
“After trialing Hazel Tech bin sachets, we observed vastly improved eating quality after storage,” Louis said in the release.
Hazel Tech CEO Aidan Mouat said that based on feedback, the company is on the “right track” with Hazel for Apple.
“Apples are one of the pillars of the produce category,” Mouat said in the release. “Our goal with Hazel for Apple was to provide both efficacy and extreme flexibility,” Mouat said in the release.
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