March 1, 2000

Apple industry wants a slice of the snack market

Cut apples can be treated to prevent browning and stored for up to three weeks, claims one developer of the coating.

BY MELISSA HANSEN

"The growth in fresh-cut vegetables has been phenomenal. It's our turn now."

Welcome Sauer

Tree fruit industry representatives are optimistic that technology to prevent browning of fresh-cut apples will jump kick sales, particularly in the area of foodservice.

In the last decade, the tree fruit industry has watched with envy the successes enjoyed by others selling produce in convenience packages. Packaged salads, bagged baby carrots, and broccoli florets are a few of the success stories. Per capita consumption of items like Romaine and leaf lettuce, carrots, and broccoli, has almost doubled in the last decade.

At the same time, per capita consumption of apples has remained stagnant. The Washington apple industry recently stepped up its efforts to boost consumption by supporting a national advertising campaign.

Welcome Sauer, director of business development for the Washington Apple Commission, believes apples will soon have their chance to reap the benefits of convenience packaging.

"The growth in fresh-cut vegetables has been phenomenal," said Sauer, who helped develop new products for Dole Food Company for ten years before joining the Apple Commission.

"I'm not sure if the same opportunity to double consumption exists for apples, but I do know there is opportunity for increased sales," he said. "It's our turn now."

While studying fresh-cut produce as a graduate student, he heard of the potential for sales of fresh-cut fruit. Sales of fresh-cut fruit were forecast to be as great or greater than vegetables. "Unfortunately, technology for fresh fruit has not been there," he said.

The Apple Commission and Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission have supported research to look at ways to extend shelf life and maintain quality of apples. Laboratories from coast to coast are working on fresh-cut or value-added research, including two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research centers, Cornell University in New York, University of California at Davis, and several private research companies.

Though other technologies and treatments have been developed, they have been proprietary and not available for commercial use, or they have produced unwanted side effects, such as off odors or taste, Sauer said.

A new product, NatureSeal, and others like it, may be the answer for the tree fruit industry. Many are hoping such preservative products will open a wide range of distribution and sales opportunities for apples.

NatureSeal, a patented blend of vitamins and minerals, is a water-soluble powder made by Mantrose-Haeuser Company, Inc., a research company in Westport, Connecticut.

Apple slices dipped in a solution of NatureSeal and water can be stored for two to three weeks without browning, the company claims.

"It truly is amazing," said Bill Barrie, president of Mantrose-Haeuser. In his 20-year tenure with the company, he's watched many new products look promising in the laboratory only to flop in real-world settings. But during demonstrations of NatureSeal, apples dipped in a control solution literally turn brown during the presentation while the NatureSeal apples remain white, he noted.

Sauer has been equally impressed with the product.

"I've seen a lot of snake oil products in my time, but this one works," he said. "And, the patented powder is a safe blend of everyday, common vitamins and minerals."

Sauer said controlling or extending shelf life of fresh-cut apples has not been the hurdle to sales of fresh-cut fruit. Refrigeration, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), and other postharvest technologies already exist to prevent decaying and breakdown of the fruit.

"Keeping fruit white was always the stumbling block," he added.

With NatureSeal, and other products that follow, Sauer envisions sliced apples being more widely used in party and deli trays, offered in salad bars and on school lunch trays, and as dessert items in restaurants.

Barrie said his company's aim was to develop a simple product that wouldn't require special packaging.

NatureSeal is a result of a partnership between USDA and Mantrose-Haeuser. After spending seven years on the project, USDA approached Mantrose-Haeuser for help in making it a commercially viable product.

The Connecticut research company, with more than 100 years experience in developing edible film coating, and wide experience in pharmaceutical, confectionery, and agricultural research, spent three years fine-tuning the blend of antibrowning agents to make it work.

Scientists in their Massachusetts and United Kingdom research laboratories worked on finding the precise mix of vitamins and minerals. It only works within a certain mixture range, explained Barrie, adding that if one component is one-half percent too high or low, the product is ineffective.

The apple treatment NatureSeal also works on most varieties of pears. Another product has been developed to treat those pear varieties not affected by NatureSeal.

The formulation has been concentrated for easy use. A relatively small amount--20 grams--will treat eight to ten pounds of sliced apples.

The antibrowning product is available in various sized containers, ranging from 55 pounds to 1.25 pounds, to accommodate major food distributors and school systems, as well as individual restaurants and consumers.

While there is much work ahead to develop the market for NatureSeal, Barrie said restaurants and others in foodservice have shown interest in the product.

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