US growers have increased the shelf life of West Coast organic apples in trials carried out by OrchardWorld.
Mike Jobbins, technical director, said on arrival in the UK by container, under the right conditions and temperature controls, retail shelved fruit had lasted up to 15 days, at least double the normal shelf life.
The fruit were packed in Longlife Solutions’ modified atmosphere Smart Bags. “We chose Gala for one of our retail customers,” said Jobbins. “Compared with the conventionally polybagged sample, fruit pressure remained 7.4% higher.”