Israeli formula keeps ‘fruit and veg’ fresh for weeks

Hydrogen peroxide is the main ingredient in an Israeli formula that keeps fruits and vegetables fresh and viable for 10 weeks, reducing losses due to rot and transportation.

The “natural” way to extend the shelf life of produce by 1,500% was developed by the Pimi Agro company.

Their formulations are 99.4% stabilised hydrogen peroxide, which decomposes to oxygen and water, leaving no chemical residue. There are formulations for citrus, for stone fruits, like peaches and plums, potatoes, and for onions and sweet potatoes.

The other 0.6% of the formulation took Pimi Agro, and researchers at the Technion and at Hebrew University, 15 years to get right. Now, the technology has several worldwide patents and has been tested 150 times under rigorous conditions in the US and Europe.

All ingredients are natural and environmentally friendly, says Nimrod Ben Yehuda, of Pimi Agro. “It’s our enhanced formulation that turns water and oxygen into products that can greatly extend produce shelf life.”

In tests, Pimi’s solutions were 15 times more effective than other preservation and disease-prevention systems, with 50% more citrus and onions available for marketing after seven months in storage, without the chemical residue left by other preservation systems.

Pimi Agro’s additives are categorised as edible acids, and have been declared safe and organic by international agencies, including the EPA and EU food safety agencies.

By using them to extend the life of produce, fruits and vegetables can be transported in more environmentally friendly ways, such as on trains instead of trucks.

With reduced loss, farmers can grow less, avoiding overplanting, and cut down on use of fertilisers and irrigation water.

Globally, between a third and a half of the food grown today never makes it to market, lost instead to spoilage and disease, due mostly to logistics issues.

Pimi Agro expect their technology to be especially useful in countries like India and China, and in Africa, where transportation systems are slow and refrigeration is used less often.

According to the Israeli company, Wal-Mart and SunPacific — (the largest retailer and the largest shipper of citrus fruit in America, respectively) — are conducting large-scale field tests of Pimi’s technology.

Pimi has begun working with other large food producers, and plans to develop formulations for produce such as asparagus, mushrooms, and peppers, and even for meat, poultry, and fish.

“Listeria, which has been a culprit in many cases of recent food poisoning at American fast food restaurants, is killed within 60 seconds of applying our products.

“As a result, farmers and wholesalers can cut down on their use of fungicides,” says Ben Yehuda.