Australian-based Naturo All Natural Technologies has developed a solution it claims will stop the browning of freshly cut avocados and prolong the shelf life of the fruit for a minimum of 10 days when refrigerated.
Known as Natavo Zero, the technology uses a natural process to ‘switch off’ the enzyme responsible for the fruit’s browning via pressure fluctuations generated by steam.
“We believe our patented technology will set the new standard in processed avocados globally, and provide the industry and consumers with the perfect solution to great tasting, safe, all natural, zero chemical avocado products with the added convenience of a long shelf life,” explained Natavo Zero inventor Jeff Hastings.
Until date, safely processed avocado products have generally been produced using expensive HPP technology, which is applied to avocado pulp, not freshly cut avocados. This means the problem of fruit browning often still exists once the packaged offering is opened.
By comparison, Naturo director Frank Schreiber said Natavo Zero offers an affordable processing solution that meets all food safety standards required to export avocado products to fastest growing markets, including the US, Asia and Europe.
“We see Natavo Zero technology as a benchmark for innovation and quality in the avocado industry and believe that the consumer’s appetite for healthier, 100 per cent natural and safe avocado products will be realized by the industry leaders,” Schreiber explained.
Natavo Zero is applied to fruit via a machine Naturo has fondly named the Avocado Time Machine (ATM), which is capable of processing any cut of avocado or avocado pulp at a rate of 500kg per hour.
“This is a rare win-win-win situation for everybody involved, it’s a win for avocado farmers, a win for the food industry and ultimately a win for consumers,” Schreiber added.
