Product promises longer shelf life
Product promises longer shelf life
Magic potions tend to be made for fairy tales, without much real-world significance or relevance. But one company thinks it has stumbled upon something that almost qualifies for that lofty description.
The products sold by Middleton, WI-based Nutra Park Inc. are being marketed as naturally occurring compounds that can both improve the ripening process and slow the decaying process of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Ultimately that means that shelf life can be improved and improved significantly according to Kim Nicholson, the firm's vice president of sales and marketing.
Ms. Nicholson and the rest of the sales team have been selling this product as a preharvest spray throughout North America. They have also followed the resulting fresh produce to the supermarket, branded it and tried to enlarge the value proposition to both the grower-shipper and the retail supermarket.
Ms. Nicholson described the compound as a naturally occurring lipid and called lipids the building blocks of every living cell.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Jiwan Paul Palta of the University of Wisconsin was conducting research with the goal of reducing the impact of early frost on Wisconsins cranberry crop. Dr. Palta was focused on improving the frost hardiness of the cranberry fruit and plant, as well as investigating the means to accelerate fruit ripening. He discovered that ethanol, ursolic acid or natural lipids, such as LPE, could be used to increase the penetration of ethephon, and the ripening of cranberry fruit could be accelerated.
According to the Nutra Park web site, "In field trials of the new, improved ethephon formulations, Dr. Palta and his student Karim Farag made an unexpected and an almost unbelievable discovery: when applied alone to cranberries, a naturally occurring phospholipid (LPE) could actually enable ripening."
Ms. Nicholson called it a classic, accidental discovery. A researcher heading in one direction finds something entirely different and much more significant. Dr. Palta determined that these naturally occurring molecules had many advantages. He patented an extraction technique and began researching specific lipids. At the same time, he helped found Nutra Park Inc. in 1999.
The firms web site describes the process that occurs when these lipids are used: LPE technology teaches us that ripening is not necessarily aging. When fruit is physiologically mature, but not ripe, LPE promotes ripening by stimulating the ethylene pathway to enable ripening but does not increase respiration, like other ripening agents. When fruit is already ripe, LPE inhibits the production of an enzyme called phospholipase D. This enzyme is known to break down cell membranes and cause aging. This dual activity the ability to enable ripening while regulating the cell membrane aging process is unique to LPE and the family of phospholipid molecules.
Today, the company has a number of different lipid products that have specific uses including enhancing the sizing, ripening, coloring and shelf life of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Ms. Nicholson said that the research is ongoing, but the firm has already identified products that are in the marketplace.
Agronomically, we have proven this works and have grower customers in many different regions, she said. After the work with cranberries, Nutra Park first tested lipids on fresh red peppers. For our initial test, we sprayed red bell pepper crops in the field, put them on the [retail] shelf and watched for 60 days. These peppers were treated no differently than ones that were not treated. They were all sold at the same price. If one was on ad, so were the others. We were focusing on shrink.
At the end of the test period, the untreated red bell peppers had a shrink factor of 16 to 18 percent, while those treated with Nutra Parks compound had only a 9 percent shrink.
Ms. Nicholson said that this test and others have shown that the MasterFresh technology, which is the brand Nutra Park has given to its stable of products, offers a definite retail value.
At the grower-shipper level, she said that there is value in producing a better product with less shrink, but the more tangible benefits are realized at retail through that same reduced shrink.
Obviously if a retailer can sell more of what it buys, it has an immediate benefit. While growers especially in specific commodities such as bell peppers, where the value has been proven are using the spray for their competitive advantage, Nutra Park is attempting to pass the retail value back to the grower through premium pricing. That is why the company is working with specific retailers to quantify the retail value. We are committed to sharing this value with the grower, she said.
The company also has a unique way to introduce the product to the grower community. Typically, a field application of one of the seven MasterFresh products costs between $60 and $150 per acre. With its established products, Nutra Park has a set price and has found many takers. But with a new crop where the value has not been determined, the company will work out a pricing concept where it receives a share of the value produced.
We believe this makes economic sense if we can give a three-to-one return on every dollar invested, she said.
The firm initially will partner with its grower customers establishing a control and sharing the benefits that accrue by the use of the technology, according to Ms. Nicholson.
Thus far, the Nutra Park executive said that the different products have proven to be economically viable on peppers, melons, onions, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and cherries. There are also some products in commercial production for the floral industry.
Ms. Nicholson is quick to admit that the process is not economically feasible for every item. For example, we are still trying to see if there is much value for strawberries, she said.
She explained that each strawberry field is picked so often that it is hard to justify the expense of the spray between each picking. The advantages are there, but the value may not be.
But the value does appear to be there for many other items. Recently, the state of Wisconsin recognized Nutra Park and its new technology as one of the top five innovative products in the state and nominated the firm for a special award.
Ms. Nicholson said that the work with retailers is also going very well, though she prefers to move further along with that market research before identifying those retailers.
If all goes well, Ms. Nicholson said that the MasterFresh brand may one day be to fruit and vegetables what Intel is to computers. We liken it to 'Intel Inside, she quipped.
The products sold by Middleton, WI-based Nutra Park Inc. are being marketed as naturally occurring compounds that can both improve the ripening process and slow the decaying process of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Ultimately that means that shelf life can be improved and improved significantly according to Kim Nicholson, the firm's vice president of sales and marketing.
Ms. Nicholson and the rest of the sales team have been selling this product as a preharvest spray throughout North America. They have also followed the resulting fresh produce to the supermarket, branded it and tried to enlarge the value proposition to both the grower-shipper and the retail supermarket.
Ms. Nicholson described the compound as a naturally occurring lipid and called lipids the building blocks of every living cell.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Jiwan Paul Palta of the University of Wisconsin was conducting research with the goal of reducing the impact of early frost on Wisconsins cranberry crop. Dr. Palta was focused on improving the frost hardiness of the cranberry fruit and plant, as well as investigating the means to accelerate fruit ripening. He discovered that ethanol, ursolic acid or natural lipids, such as LPE, could be used to increase the penetration of ethephon, and the ripening of cranberry fruit could be accelerated.
According to the Nutra Park web site, "In field trials of the new, improved ethephon formulations, Dr. Palta and his student Karim Farag made an unexpected and an almost unbelievable discovery: when applied alone to cranberries, a naturally occurring phospholipid (LPE) could actually enable ripening."
Ms. Nicholson called it a classic, accidental discovery. A researcher heading in one direction finds something entirely different and much more significant. Dr. Palta determined that these naturally occurring molecules had many advantages. He patented an extraction technique and began researching specific lipids. At the same time, he helped found Nutra Park Inc. in 1999.
The firms web site describes the process that occurs when these lipids are used: LPE technology teaches us that ripening is not necessarily aging. When fruit is physiologically mature, but not ripe, LPE promotes ripening by stimulating the ethylene pathway to enable ripening but does not increase respiration, like other ripening agents. When fruit is already ripe, LPE inhibits the production of an enzyme called phospholipase D. This enzyme is known to break down cell membranes and cause aging. This dual activity the ability to enable ripening while regulating the cell membrane aging process is unique to LPE and the family of phospholipid molecules.
Today, the company has a number of different lipid products that have specific uses including enhancing the sizing, ripening, coloring and shelf life of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Ms. Nicholson said that the research is ongoing, but the firm has already identified products that are in the marketplace.
Agronomically, we have proven this works and have grower customers in many different regions, she said. After the work with cranberries, Nutra Park first tested lipids on fresh red peppers. For our initial test, we sprayed red bell pepper crops in the field, put them on the [retail] shelf and watched for 60 days. These peppers were treated no differently than ones that were not treated. They were all sold at the same price. If one was on ad, so were the others. We were focusing on shrink.
At the end of the test period, the untreated red bell peppers had a shrink factor of 16 to 18 percent, while those treated with Nutra Parks compound had only a 9 percent shrink.
Ms. Nicholson said that this test and others have shown that the MasterFresh technology, which is the brand Nutra Park has given to its stable of products, offers a definite retail value.
At the grower-shipper level, she said that there is value in producing a better product with less shrink, but the more tangible benefits are realized at retail through that same reduced shrink.
Obviously if a retailer can sell more of what it buys, it has an immediate benefit. While growers especially in specific commodities such as bell peppers, where the value has been proven are using the spray for their competitive advantage, Nutra Park is attempting to pass the retail value back to the grower through premium pricing. That is why the company is working with specific retailers to quantify the retail value. We are committed to sharing this value with the grower, she said.
The company also has a unique way to introduce the product to the grower community. Typically, a field application of one of the seven MasterFresh products costs between $60 and $150 per acre. With its established products, Nutra Park has a set price and has found many takers. But with a new crop where the value has not been determined, the company will work out a pricing concept where it receives a share of the value produced.
We believe this makes economic sense if we can give a three-to-one return on every dollar invested, she said.
The firm initially will partner with its grower customers establishing a control and sharing the benefits that accrue by the use of the technology, according to Ms. Nicholson.
Thus far, the Nutra Park executive said that the different products have proven to be economically viable on peppers, melons, onions, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and cherries. There are also some products in commercial production for the floral industry.
Ms. Nicholson is quick to admit that the process is not economically feasible for every item. For example, we are still trying to see if there is much value for strawberries, she said.
She explained that each strawberry field is picked so often that it is hard to justify the expense of the spray between each picking. The advantages are there, but the value may not be.
But the value does appear to be there for many other items. Recently, the state of Wisconsin recognized Nutra Park and its new technology as one of the top five innovative products in the state and nominated the firm for a special award.
Ms. Nicholson said that the work with retailers is also going very well, though she prefers to move further along with that market research before identifying those retailers.
If all goes well, Ms. Nicholson said that the MasterFresh brand may one day be to fruit and vegetables what Intel is to computers. We liken it to 'Intel Inside, she quipped.
