If you are looking for advice on how to increase your shelf life and cut waste then you are inexactly the right spot. I have 36 years of world wide experience in the preservation of fresh produce and flowers.

That is 36 years covering some eighty countries and over 2000 projects. There are very few products in the horticulture and floriculture world that I have not worked with. From the point of harvest a strawberry has to rely on its own reserves to stay alive. The rate at which the fruit uses up these reserves is governed to a large extent by temperature. This process is called respiration.

Fresh produce is a living commodity which respires just like us. Respiration is the process where stored food reserves are broken down to release energy. The energy is used to maintain healthy cells and tissues. Once harvested the produce has a finite supply of its own food reserves.

Respiration rate is also governed by temperature – the higher the temperature the higher the respiration rate and the faster produce will die

Simple facts.    

 Are you aware that that in many cases up to 70% of your shelf or vase life is lost before you even pack it?

• Typically the shelf life of fresh produce at 25 degrees centigrade is less than 10% compared with its safe storage temperature.
• Every hour lost in pre cooling to a safe temperature will reduce the life of your product between 8 and 24 hours.
• Pre cooling and refrigerated packing and handling of fresh produce is a highly specialised area. 
• Many people waste money and product life by ineffective application of key processes in the chain. 

A properly designed pre cooling system will extend produce life, save money and cut waste.                                                                                     

     It is vitally important to take a holistic approach and look at every aspect of the process from harvest to final packing and distribution. Sometimes small changes in the operational process can have a dramatic effect on efficiency.