Mango Spoilage Significantly Reduced By Innovative Fresh Cut Packaging

Innovative fresh cut packaging technology has significantly reduced the spoilage losses of Philippines export mangoes and strengthened Convex Plastic's growing reputation as a world leading provider of life extension packaging for fresh cut produce.

Shelf life trials conducted utilising Convex Plastics' recently developed Opti~fresh packaging outperformed previous large international trials in the Philippines by significantly reducing spoilage in mangoes kept for 21 days, as compared to the standard control.

Frank Tay, Client Manager for New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, has been co-ordinating Opti~fresh trials with the Filipino export company, Diamond Star Agro Products Inc. He says, “The results are most encouraging. Convex Plastics have clearly developed a world class solution for extending the shelf life of fresh produce, and it's now just a matter of telling the world about what they have achieved.”

Opti~fresh packaging provides proven life extension benefits for high respiring fresh cut produce with oxygen transmission rates (OTRs) as high as 20,000 cc/m² per day on almost any type of film. Its high sealability also makes it an ideal lidding stock for produce packed in clam shells, trays and show bowls where it can provide a shelf life extension equal to an entire standard modified atmosphere bag by covering just the top surface of the container.

The life extension benefits provided by Opti~fresh was recognised last October with the presentation of a bronze award in Film/Laminations at the 2004 New Zealand Plastic Industry Design Awards. The award-winning packaging was specifically designed to extend the shelf life of high respiring fresh cut lemon wedges packed in bags.

Over the past seven years Convex Plastics has successfully established themselves as a leading provider of life extension packaging films for fresh cut produce and flowers through the development of their re~fresh modified atmosphere packaging range. Offering life extension applications for produce with film OTRs up to 3000 cc/m² per day , re~fresh can currently be found in almost all leading supermarkets in Australasia packing everything from mixed salads and stir fry mixes, to fresh herbs, shredded lettuce and carrots.

Convex Plastics Technical Manager, Andrew Sheerin says, "Opti~fresh has enabled us to significantly expand our life extension offering by overcoming the ceiling of around 3000 OTR provided by re~fresh on a limited number of films, to an almost limitless OTR on almost any film. It has also enabled us to provide equal film stiffness across a whole line of packaging, despite variations in OTR.”

Convex Plastics is now working to further extend Mango shelf life beyond the 21-day mark, and aims to enable exporters to significantly reduce transportation costs by moving from airfreight to sea freight.