09 Feb Top fresh produce innovation from Fruit Logistica 2012

The FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Awards are an integral part of Fruit Logistica, the annual global trade show for fresh produce held annually in Berlin, attracting worldwide media interest. They are presented to honour outstanding innovations in the fresh produce sector and its service industries. Expo visitors vote for three winners out of ten finalists…

Winners and nominees for the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2012 include:

WINNER: Angello Sweet & Seedless Pepper from Syngenta Seeds, Netherlands

Website: www.syngenta.com

The Angello Sweet & Seedless Pepper is a new variety of seedless red baby pepper, conical in shape and with a sweet and crunchy taste. Because it is seedless, it can be eaten whole as a snack or used for example in salads. With a vibrant red colour and thin skin, it is 5-10 cm in length and weighs between 10 g and 30 g. It is a good source of vitamin C and is currently available all year round from growers in Spain, Israel and Netherlands. The Angello Sweet & Seedless Pepper is marketed in convenience snack packaging. The product has been tested using Syngenta’s own consumer research department and their exclusive partners for this project, Bakkavor and The Greenery.

Market Launch: October 2011

RUNNER-UP: Lovemysalad.com from Rijk Zwaan, Netherlands

Website: www.rijkzwaan.com

Lovemysalad.com is an interactive website and social network forum for salad lovers from all over the world – private or professional – to share their passion for vegetables and salads. Lovemysalad.com provides a new opportunity for fans of a specific product range to interact socially via recipe suggestions, postings and news. It not only provides details of the origins of products but also information on different types of salads and vegetables and how to prepare them. For the professionals involved, Lovemysalad.com is not simply aimed at increasing sales, but rather to enter into meaningful dialogue with the consumer, to increase vegetable consumption generally, and to draw wider attention to subjects such as health, sustainability and the global food supply.

Market Launch: January 2011

THIRD PLACE: Achacha from Company Bud Holland, Netherlands

Website: www.bud.nl

The Achacha originates from the Bolivian Amazon basin and is now com-mercially grown in Australia. It has a bright orange, relatively thick skin and the form and size of an egg. Sold in three sizes (<40 g, 40-60 g, and >60 g), it can be opened quickly and cleanly with a unique “pierce-pop” tech-nique. The soft white flesh is reminiscent of sorbet with a soft seed and a sweet and tangy flavour. The skin can be made into a drink and the fruit pulp added to salads or used in cocktails, ice creams etc. It can be stored for several months if kept above +10o C in an enclosed container. According to the supplier, it is high in antioxidants and other nutrients, and is a healthy alternative as a gift. Bags and gift boxes with Bolivian motifs and product information leaflets are available.

Market launch: January 2011

Purple Sprouting Broccoli from Bejo Zaden, Netherlands

Website: www.bejo.com

Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a new variety of broccoli with small, dark pur-ple side shoots which grow next to the main stem. Several varieties are available for summer, autumn and winter cultivation and for different growing conditions. The shoots have a length of about 10-15 cm and can be packed in different sizes. According to the developer, the variety has higher nutritional values than traditional broccoli.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli consists of tasty stems with a flowering head. It combines a distinct broccoli flavour with a delicate taste of asparagus. It is a new vegetable variety that will add colour to any dish, while at the same offering interesting opportunities for the food-service sector.

Market launch: December 2010

Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Campo Rico Export, Spain

Website: www.camporico.com

Campo Rico Roasted Sweet Potatoes are a new ready-to-eat/ready-to-heat convenience product, vacuum-packed on a transparent plastic tray inside a plastic bag, with one whole sweet potato (600-800 g) per package.

No preservatives or chemical additives are used during production and the product itself has a shelf life of 4 months without the need for cold storage. The production process provides a ready-to-eat product which is gluten-free with all the organoleptic characteristics of fresh sweet potatoes.

Market launch: September 2011

Yonanas Healthy Frozen Treat Maker fropm Healthy Foods, USA

Website: www.yonanas.com

The Yonanas Healthy Frozen Treat Maker is a new kitchen appliance that uses only frozen fruit to create a frozen dessert that looks and tastes like soft ice cream. Yonanas can create any desired flavour, for example using over-ripe bananas or other frozen fruit that might otherwise have been thrown away. It is simple to operate, and easy to use and clean. The idea for the machine was originally conceived by Eileen McHale and Brian Machovina, and then designed, developed and tested by Healthy Foods.

Market launch: May 2011

Pineapple juice with fruit pieces from McCarter, Slovak Republic 

Website: www.mccarter.sk

Rio Fresh 100% Pineapple is freshly squeezed pineapple juice with small pineapple pieces. It is the addition of the small pineapple pieces which makes the product different. Not only is the taste experience more intensive, but it is also similar to that of a fresh snack. The product is made from premium pineapple varieties and is produced without cooking or the use of preservatives. It free of pathogenic microorganisms and the original taste and vitamins are maintained. It is sold in 450 ml PET bottles with full sleeve labelling and has a shelf-life (unopened) of up to 4 months when kept in a cool place.

Market launch: September 2011

Pattruss Z from Pattruss, Japan

Website: www.pattruss.com

The Pattruss Z is a newly developed plastic bag with an unusual triangular shape which protects the contents while at the same time saving space during transportation. It has a recloseable zipper seal to maintain freshness, for example of leaf salads. The film material is strong enough for the bag to be opened and closed many times but it can also be torn open for immediate use. The Pattruss Z bag is available in different sizes subject to order and is fully customizable. The film type can also be varied to suit dif-ferent products.

Market launch: December 2010

Dried Candied Cido from SIA Amberbloom, Latvia

Website: www.amberbloom.lv

Dried Candied Cido is produced from a special variety of the Chaenomeles japonica, also known as Japanese Quince or Nordic Lemon, and especially popular in Latvia. It is candied and dried using a special technique without the use of preservatives or other additives, apart from glucose-fructose syrup used to adjust consistency and colour.

With its unique sweet-sour flavour, it provides a tasty snack but can also be used as an ingredient in cakes, yoghourts, ice cream, muesli, fruit and nut mixes, teas and confectionery. It is currently available as cut, diced or grated fruit pieces in different grades and sizes.

Market Launch: August 2011

Sungreen Green Cherry Tomato from Tokita Seed Company, Japan

Website: www.tokitaseed.co.jp

Sungreen is a newly developed green cherry tomato, weighing on average 20 g. The calyx is long and straight and remains on the fruit. The skin colour turns from deep green to light green when ripe and the flesh is relatively thick and very crisp. The average brix level of the ripened fruit is 8 degrees, competing well with red varieties and representing the highest brix level for green tomatoes. The flavour is a good balance between sweet and sour with a touch of citrus. It has no lycopene but has similar amounts of glutamic acid to, and 50 per cent more gamma-aminobutyric acid than, fully matured red cherry tomatoes.

Sungreen was developed over a period of five years using conventional breeding methods and was trialled by growers in various regions of Japan and other countries.

Market Launch: January 2011