Dedicated Packing Facilities
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Washing & Shining Yummy Apples - What is surface coating?
World-wide there is increasing interest in the development of edible films for use in maintaining
food quality and reducing the need for plastic and synthetic packaging materials. But this is not a
new concept. The Chinese first waxed citrus in the twelfth century and even at that time the pros
(reduced water loss) and cons (fruit fermentation) were known. Initially waxes were used on fruit
and vegetables but these days ‘waxing’ is a misleading term in most cases.
At Yummy we refer to it as ‘washed and shined’ rather than waxed. Most surface coatings including
the Canauba based product we use are natural plant extracts not waxes as we know them.
Why Wash & Shine?
Enhanced Appearance
This is the most obvious effect of surface coatings and is wrongly perceived as the most important.
The depth of colour and lustre of the fruit are enhanced making it more attractive. One American
researcher noticed that waxed apples outsold non-waxed by ten to one when placed side by side in
the supermarket.
Reduced Water Loss
Surface coatings have similar (but greater) effect to fruits natural waxy coating. It slows down
water loss and shrivelling and maintains juiciness. Of particular interest to retailers is the loss
in saleable weight and surface coatings are useful in preventing this.
Slower Ripening
Fruit and vegetables are like people to some extent, they are alive and respiring. They use up
oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Surface coatings act as a barrier to oxygen intake so the
oxygen levels inside the fruit are lowered and it is forced to respire (ripen and deteriorate) at a
slower rate than would naturally occur. This is a similar effect to what a controlled atmosphere
store achieves.
This combined with reduced water loss has produced astounding results in maintaining the shelf life
of the fruit and maintain the eating quality for the consumer. It is in this area that most
international research is targeted.
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Yummy Findings
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The vast majority of apples sold in the USA, Asia, the Middle East and
Australia are waxed. Australia has a market that probably the most similar to that of New Zealand
and it has proved time and again that ‘waxing’ results in greater sales and more enduring fruit
quality.
As Yummy were the innovators, the first to ‘wax’ fruit in New Zealand and the market response was
phenomenal. The retailers made the decision as to whether ‘waxed’ fruit was worthwhile and their
answer was emphatically YES!
Clean fruit
Before fruit is ‘waxed’ it travels across a series of brushes where it is thoroughly washed. This
process removes the natural waxy coating on the fruit along with any orchard grime and spray
residues. As a result ‘waxed’ fruit is the only genuinely clean fruit.
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