Hazel Technologies product safeguards storage potato quality

Hazel Technologies Inc., Chicago, has a new product, Hazel Root, that’s designed to protect the quality of potatoes in storage by preventing sprouting.

Like other Hazel Technologies’ products that prolong the shelf life of produce, Hazel Root is a packaging insert, and it is placed in bulk boxes/bins of potatoes as they go into storage.

The inserts release an active ingredient that slows the growth of sprouts using natural biological processes, according to a news release. Hazel Root can be used on conventional and organic potatoes, and may have applications for some types of onions, according to Hazel Technologies.

“Potatoes are the third-most consumed crop in the world, after rice and wheat. Over 1 billion people worldwide regularly consume potatoes,” Adam Preslar, chief technology officer and co-founder of Hazel Technologies, said in the release. “In developing solutions for the largest food categories in the world, we can make the greatest strides toward reducing global food waste at the largest scale.”

The company received $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation and Research program, according to the release, for potato quality research. The USDA considers potatoes with sprouting exceeding 10% of the surface area to be “damaged,” reducing the commercial value of the vegetable, which contributes to food waste

Hazel Technologies has received a total of $900,000 from the USDA’s innovation and research program, according to the release.