Keeping Sliced Apples Fresh
Apples are easily America’s favorite fruit, and in this short article we are going to find out how one of our customers has dramatically changed the way many Americans eat apples.
Apples have been around for millennia. Adam and Eve loved them, the ancient Greeks and Romans were quite fond of them (they continually pop up in their myths and fables), and the early American settlers loved them so much they brought apple seeds with them from Europe.
While apples grow all over North America, 60 percent of all the apples in America are grown in Washington State.
Sliced Apples are Still Just Apples, Right? Not Quite.
What do Apple Growers do? It’s simple, they core, slice, and package apples to sell in grocery stores all over the country.
The question: How do we keep sliced apples looking like they have just been cut after they have been sitting in a package for up to twenty days?
The answer came through collaborating with a company called Nature Seal. Together, Nature Seal and Crunch Pak developed a calcium and vitamin C solution that could keep sliced apples looking fresh for up to twenty-one days. This calcium and vitamin C solution, when combined with modified atmosphere packaging and breathable bags specifically designed for the respiration rates of the apple varietals that Crunch Pak processes, has made Crunch Pak very successful. Before Crunch Pak, packaged and sliced apples were not even a part of the value-added produce segment, but since solving their business and technical roadblocks in the early 2000s they have grown sliced and packaged apples into a business that generates $700 million in retail sales per year, and produces over 250,000 cases of packaged apple products per week.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging: Keeping Value-Added Produce Valuable
A vitamin C and calcium solution, highly engineered breathable bags designed for the specific respiration rates of apples, and modified atmosphere packaging. While it seems like this would be enough to deliver high quality apples to consumers throughout North America, there is one thing missing from the conversation so far, and that is the importance of having a high-quality Modified Atmosphere Packaging Gas Analyzer to ensure that your processing and packaging is up to the highest standards.
Growers and Packagers have been using our Bridge Analyzers Model 9001 – CO2/O2 Gas Analyzer as the last check, in their quality control process for years. Our MAP CO2/O2 Gas Analyzer was designed for the specific needs of our fresh-cut produce packagers and is our bestselling Gas Analyzer for our fresh fruit and vegetable customers.
Bridge Analyzers Model 9001 – CO2/O2 Gas Analyzer
- CO2 process gas fill and MAP Residual O2 measurement.
- CO2/O2 balance for natural respiration process evaluation.
- Sealed for Harsh Environments – Industrial NEMA-4 Design.
- Cordless Operation – Single or Double Shift Internal Battery.
- Simple and fast – Single button CO2 and O2 in 15 Seconds.
- Stable, Trouble-free Infrared CO2.
- Customer Changeable Self-Calibrating E-C O2 sensor.
- Small (6″x3″x3″), lightweight (2.5 Lbs), and rugged.
Let us know how we can help you improve your MAP gas analysis for respiring fruits and vegetables by contacting us at sales@bridgeanalyzers.com