Navy teams up with Apio to boost produce shelf life
Navy teams up with Apio to boost produce shelf life
The U.S. Navy is hoping this January to outfit ships with a packaging technology that would boost the shelf life of fresh produce to save the military from wasting millions of dollars on spoiled fruits and vegetables.
The Navy has been testing Apio Inc.'s BreatheWay, a proprietary membrane technology that provides an optimal atmosphere within the package to extend shelf life and preserve the freshness of the produce.
Although the Navy tested other technologies, this one is simple because it does not introduce chemicals or gasses on board ships, according to Deborah Sisson of the U.S. Department of Defense's Combat Feeding Program. "We've been working for close to two years on it and have conducted fleet testing on the USS Reagan and other ships," she said.
Now the Combat Feeding Program is hoping to convince the Office of Naval Research to fund BreatheWay-packaged produce in September so West Coast-based Navy ships can begin using it in January.
Some produce items don't need it, she said. The Navy would not have to rely on packages that regulate the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen for optimum freshness on items that are suitable frozen or canned. But for fresh lettuce, tomatoes and peppers, there are no good frozen or canned substitutes, and crews need to have access to fresh lettuce because without it, there would be no salads on board, Ms. Sisson said.
The challenge is for the Navy to extend the shelf life of its fruits and vegetables by 20 percent. By using the company's temperature-responsive packaging system, the Navy has been able to boost the shelf life for some commodities by 40 percent. Tests show that the new packages can extend the shelf life of Iceberg lettuce to 42 days from 28 days; cantaloupe and honeydew melons to 35 days from 24 days; bell peppers to 25 days from 15 days and tomatoes to 14 days from 10 days.
Premature spoilage of fruits and vegetables on ships and submarines is extremely costly. In 2005, the Navy spent more than $26 million on fresh fruits and vegetables, with $3 million lost to spoilage. Navy ships must confront unique feeding situations as ships can be deployed in areas where new supplies cannot be introduced for up to six weeks, Ms. Sisson told a conference of food technologists in Chicago last month.
Apio scientist Ray Clarke also presented the latest news on the partnership at the Institute of Food Technologists' meeting.
Apio's packaging technology, which is used commercially today under the "Eat Smart" brand, can extend shelf life for sensitive vegetables and fruits and can be used for large shipping containers and pallet-size containers. This may solve another problem on board aircraft carriers that must purchase enough produce packed in cardboard boxes to feed up to 5,000 people.
The Navy tested a folding crate solution rather than the conventional corrugated shipping boxes to increase ventilation and reduce further loss to produce when stacked paper boxes fail. The larger retailers use the smart crates for efficient shipping and handling. Reducing paper waste is a priority on board ships in which the waste is either carried on or disposed of later, Ms. Sisson added.
But with the promise of extended shelf life could come new food safety concerns. "We've done some limited microbiological testing and we plan to increase the testing in-house," she said.
Now all produce served on ships is washed and sanitized in a chlorine bath before being served to crew. The Navy follows its own food safety protocol for the handling of fresh produce, Ms. Sisson said.
The Navy has been testing Apio Inc.'s BreatheWay, a proprietary membrane technology that provides an optimal atmosphere within the package to extend shelf life and preserve the freshness of the produce.
Although the Navy tested other technologies, this one is simple because it does not introduce chemicals or gasses on board ships, according to Deborah Sisson of the U.S. Department of Defense's Combat Feeding Program. "We've been working for close to two years on it and have conducted fleet testing on the USS Reagan and other ships," she said.
Now the Combat Feeding Program is hoping to convince the Office of Naval Research to fund BreatheWay-packaged produce in September so West Coast-based Navy ships can begin using it in January.
Some produce items don't need it, she said. The Navy would not have to rely on packages that regulate the levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen for optimum freshness on items that are suitable frozen or canned. But for fresh lettuce, tomatoes and peppers, there are no good frozen or canned substitutes, and crews need to have access to fresh lettuce because without it, there would be no salads on board, Ms. Sisson said.
The challenge is for the Navy to extend the shelf life of its fruits and vegetables by 20 percent. By using the company's temperature-responsive packaging system, the Navy has been able to boost the shelf life for some commodities by 40 percent. Tests show that the new packages can extend the shelf life of Iceberg lettuce to 42 days from 28 days; cantaloupe and honeydew melons to 35 days from 24 days; bell peppers to 25 days from 15 days and tomatoes to 14 days from 10 days.
Premature spoilage of fruits and vegetables on ships and submarines is extremely costly. In 2005, the Navy spent more than $26 million on fresh fruits and vegetables, with $3 million lost to spoilage. Navy ships must confront unique feeding situations as ships can be deployed in areas where new supplies cannot be introduced for up to six weeks, Ms. Sisson told a conference of food technologists in Chicago last month.
Apio scientist Ray Clarke also presented the latest news on the partnership at the Institute of Food Technologists' meeting.
Apio's packaging technology, which is used commercially today under the "Eat Smart" brand, can extend shelf life for sensitive vegetables and fruits and can be used for large shipping containers and pallet-size containers. This may solve another problem on board aircraft carriers that must purchase enough produce packed in cardboard boxes to feed up to 5,000 people.
The Navy tested a folding crate solution rather than the conventional corrugated shipping boxes to increase ventilation and reduce further loss to produce when stacked paper boxes fail. The larger retailers use the smart crates for efficient shipping and handling. Reducing paper waste is a priority on board ships in which the waste is either carried on or disposed of later, Ms. Sisson added.
But with the promise of extended shelf life could come new food safety concerns. "We've done some limited microbiological testing and we plan to increase the testing in-house," she said.
Now all produce served on ships is washed and sanitized in a chlorine bath before being served to crew. The Navy follows its own food safety protocol for the handling of fresh produce, Ms. Sisson said.
