Product category:
Food Packaging
News Release from: DS Smith Plastics (Rapak) | Subject: Xtend
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 24 February 2005
Extending Asparagus's Field-Fresh
Flavour
Asparagus is very big business.
Asparagus is very big business In Europe production has risen to 230,000 tonnes per annum while the US harvests 315,000 tonnes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 25 Feb 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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With most asparagus sold through supermarkets and with consumers willing to pay a premium for high quality produce, Stepac, part of D S Smith Plastics, has now introduced its modified atmosphere and modified humidity technology for asparagus to European customers.
It is claimed to help extend the product's shelf and storage life from the point of harvest to the point of consumption said the company.
In the United States, Stepac's Xtend post-harvest system for asparagus has already been selling successfully for the past two years, commented the company.
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It has been adopted by some of the biggest asparagus importers and shippers in the US.
Now trials in Europe are leading the way to the availability of substantially extended storage and on-shelf display times for European asparagus growers, shippers, importers and retailers.
The Xtend system is said to be capable of lengthening storage and on-shelf display times by as much as 28 days.
That not only means that the period during which retailers can command a premium price for quality asparagus has increased, but it also helps grow the market for asparagus as consumers are guaranteed the field fresh flavour as well as the high nutritional content that makes it such an attractive food.
Stepac said it is now also selling Xtend consumer and microwave bags that protect quality right up to the moment the asparagus is eaten, offering convenience to consumers as well as added value to retailers.
The asparagus market in Europe is concentrated mainly on white asparagus whereas in the US the market is more segmented in to white, green and purple varieties.
Stepac's first trials in Europe were held in conjunction with Special Fruit in Belgium and focused on Peruvian asparagus.
The results were so good it was decided to conduct further trials on European white asparagus.
Five different types of modified atmosphere and humidity bags were tested in several locations in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Austria.
The results demonstrated a significant benefit when the asparagus had been stored for more than two weeks.
The company said that despite that length of time in storage the asparagus remained white with shiny, glossy tips and no sign of shrivelling or water loss as long as the asparagus was kept in a closed bag at the recommended temperature.
In Germany, the tests were conducted with Spargel Meier in co-operation with the Landwirtschaftskammer Hannover.
Trials with five kilogramme bags proved Xtend's ability to maintain the asparagus in exactly the same state as when it was packed.
The same results were found at Spargelhof Kutzleben said Stepac.
In Belgium and Holland trials clearly demonstrated that Xtend's post-harvest treatments made a big difference, with its 16-day storage requirements.
Test results with Dutch company Teboza showed again that after three weeks the asparagus stayed in a perfect state and was graded top quality.
Once the asparagus is taken from storage and put on display in the retail outlet, there is more scope for deterioration and handling damage.
With that in mind, Xtend trials with Zon in Holland have been exploring the benefits of 500g consumer bags in which the asparagus is packed post-storage.
In summer time, the peak period for asparagus sales, Stepac's recommendation is to display the asparagus on chilled shelves at 10 degrees C.
The aim is to maintain quality on-shelf for five to seven days.
According to Stepac, Zon was pleased to see how much longer storage life had been extended and to observe the fresh quality of the cut edge at the asparagus base.
After a year working with asparagus retailers in the US, Stepac took another step in the development of Xtend.
Stepac is now selling microwave bags for both green and white asparagus.
They allow the asparagus to stay white for up to 28 days.
The bag can be popped straight into the microwave oven and after six minutes the asparagus is ready to eat with a field fresh flavour said the company.
Xtend's microwave bags appeal not only to retailers but also food service and catering industries.
Asparagus tends to be seen as a luxurious but high maintenance product but the microwave bag concept could help stimulate sales of more convenient formats such peeled asparagus and asparagus tips believes Stepac.
In the US, trials have been conducted in cooperation with a retailer in various stores along the East coast, comparing sales of asparagus packaged using Xtend's system and 'naked' asparagus (stacked in a water-filled tray) as well as shrink-wrapped asparagus.
The Xtend packaging, sold at a premium price, won with an 85 per cent replacement turnover in a given period as against 75 per cent for naked and 32 per cent for the shrink-wrapped version said Stepac.
There are special factors in the US relating to the consumers' need to know products are safe and come from an acceptable country of origin.
Since 11 September, many consumers want to be confident that no-one else has handled the stalks in the retail outlet and that there has been no chance of contamination somewhere in the supply chain.
For those reasons also, labelling is important.
Xtend packaging lends itself to informative labelling on both origin and nutrition content added the company.
Stepac added that the commercial success in the US and all the trials in Europe demonstrated that it is possible to significantly lengthen the time asparagus stays fresh from harvest to consumption and they also show the potential for turning asparagus into more of a convenience product, fitting in with an important general retail trend.
From the growers' and shippers' perspective, it means keeping customers, especially the supermarkets, very happy indeed.
For the retailers themselves the key to profitability is the price achieved per pound weight of produce sold and with consumers more likely to pay a premium price for high quality produce, the company beleives that Xtend provides a way of making asparagus an even better commercial proposition for everyone in the supply chain.
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