Sanifruit, now in its sixth season in South Africa, has not limited itself to packaging companies in the Eastern Cape, but has also moved to Limpopo and Mpumalanga to help packaging companies with some pain points: on the one hand, the development of resistance to decades-old chemicals, and on the other hand, the steady reduction of permitted active ingredients and their permitted amounts.
“Several packing houses in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape are starting to see a reduction in the efficacy of imazalil due to the development of severe resistance, and there are no similar effective clear alternatives,” explains Tomás Lucas, Sales Director of Valencia-based Sanifruit. . “The pressure to reduce the maximum amount of residues and the number of active ingredients is increasing in order to meet the requirements of both European legislation and retailers. Several traditional chemicals used in packaging, such as imazalil and fludioxanil, will be reduced in the next few years in Europe. .”
Lucas points out that South African citrus exports are not only affected by European regulations. “In new markets of interest, such as India, thiabendazole has been banned in Indonesia, while Korea and Japan have placed further restrictions on the use of some post-harvest chemicals such as imazalil.
Lucas and Reon Marx, business development manager at Suidchem, Sanifruit’s distributor in South Africa, claim that using Sanifruit’s range of soaps, disinfectants and coatings reduces the use of chemicals at packing stations (as per regulations), which in turn allows for additional use. of active ingredients in orchard spraying programs.
So it’s no surprise that South Africa is one of the biggest markets for Sanifruit’s citrus post-harvest soaps, disinfectants and coatings, which they plan to expand to packing stations in neighboring countries next year.
“A very effective way to combat food waste”
Sani D is one of the most widely used products in South Africa: a surface disinfectant formulated with potassium sorbate that is applied to watering cans before irrigation and in the fungicide bath of the packaging line. It has no effect on the pH value.
“An additional advantage of using our disinfectants is that we can reduce the amount of chemicals normally used in the packaging plant and thus lower the maximum amount of residues,” he says. “Sani D has shown that it has very good control of pathogens on the packing line. Some diseases such as acid and brown rot and sooty mold have become a problem in recent years and cause large losses, not only in supply, but also at packing stations after graduation.”
He points out that food waste – and not just fresh produce – is one of the biggest challenges in the near future. “Sani D and Sani C have proven to be very effective tools for reducing fruit waste both in the packing house and on arrival.”
Prevents chill damage with vegan coatings
Traditional polyethylene shellac waxes are neither vegetarian nor vegan (from the start of this year, the British Vegetarian Society no longer approves products containing them), and the industry needs to adapt.
The coatings offered by Sanifruit are not wax-based, but consist of sucrose esters of fatty acids, which are both vegan and edible (as long as fungicides are not added post-harvest), and once EU registration is complete, they are also certified organic.
“Since the pandemic, the logistics scenario has improved only slightly. That’s why we need to ensure that fruits have a longer shelf life to withstand longer delivery times today.” To remedy this, their coatings minimize fruit weight loss and extend shelf life.
“There is an urgent need to prevent cold damage from cold storage and other peeling problems. Organic growers are currently investigating the use of Sani RC L, a certified organic product made from plant extracts that protects fruit from cold damage. The product is also recommended for programs with uncontaminated lemons.”
Many packers use all three – soaps, disinfectants and coatings – in different applications, which is Sanifruit’s recommendation for very good protection of fruit while reducing maximum residue levels.
“We can say with confidence that Sanifruit products are supporting South African packaging house managers to solve some of their challenges,” says Lucas.
More information:
Reon Marx
Sanifruit Suidchem
Tel: +27 82 614 9420
[email protected]
https://sanifruit.com/en/