Bananas finally appear destined to join the fresh-cut segment on supermarket shelves thanks to a new shelf-life-extending treatment developed by German food preservation specialist Food Freshly.
The product, dubbed O Plus Ultra-7, is an antioxidant that can, according to the company, add 8-10 days onto the shelf-life of a product without the use of preservatives, genetically modified organisms or other harmful substances.
“Fully compliant with EU, US, and Canadian food safety legislation, O Plus Ultra-7 is, in common with all Food Freshly products, applied as an aqueous solution in which bananas are dipped for 1-2 minutes,” the company stated. “Natural banana flavours are preserved following treatment, while structure and colour are retained without becoming soft. Processors also do not need to use modified atmosphere packaging or other special cost-adding packaging.”
The development is a major breakthrough for bananas, which have been absent from the fresh-cut category due to their turning brown almost immediately after being cut.
“Current antioxidants on the market were not able to handle these sensitive fruits until now,” explained Benjamin Singh, director of technical sales. “We are glad to be able to offer the unique opportunity of being first-to-market with a fresh-cutbanana product for our customers.”
