Kliewer Farms LLC and Hazel collaborate on Hazel 100 kiwifruit trials

Reedley, Calif.-based grower-packer-shipper- Kliewer Farms LLC  has announced a successful postharvest trial with Chicago-based Hazel Technologies.

The trial used the Hazel 100 sachet on the company’s exclusive kiwifruit variety, Mega Kiwi, according to a news release.

Having had previous success with Hazel 100 on their Hayward variety, the growers at Kliewer wanted to see how the postharvest solution would pair with the Mega Kiwi, the release said.

During the trial, researchers found that Mega Kiwi treated with Hazel 100 saw an approximate 35% increase in average flesh firmness versus the control after one month in cold storage and four days in ambient temperature, the release said.

“We want our dry weight matter to be as high as possible for our kiwifruit to taste sweet and appeal to consumers,” Kliewer Farms Chief Operating Officer Jerin Kliewer said in the release. “Hazel 100 helps us accomplish this. During our recent trial with Hazel, we measured the core and shoulder pressures throughout the trial, and it proved Hazel 100 does well for both Mega and Hayward varieties in the ripening process.”

“It’s really exciting to see positive results with both Hayward and Mega kiwifruit,” Mike Rubidoux, director of sales strategy at Hazel Technologies, said in the release. “For a very long time, the kiwifruit industry has been hesitant to use 1-MCP on their fruit due to kiwifruit’s sensitivity to ethylene. With these trial results, we know that Hazel 100’s slow-release feature is tailored enough to slow the fruit’s aging process without completely slowing the natural ripening process. We look forward to continuing trialing other Hazel solutions with Kliewer during the upcoming season.”