Advantages for Growers, Packers and Shippers
There are many advantages of SmartFresh technology such as a higher marketing flexibility, less pressure to sell the fruit and a larger marketing window of more consistent product quality during the entire sales season.
SmartFresh also provides better firmness maintenance for highly ethylene sensitive fruits like plums and persimmons, and also local heritage apple varieties.
For exports and long-distance transportation, SmartFresh allows for better quality at port of arrival and better resistance to breaks in the cool chain or unforeseen delays in the supply chain.
Interesting Benefits for Retailers
SmartFresh provides improved shelf life of fruits in ambient temperatures. In French retail research studies, more than 80% of plums with SmartFresh technology maintained top quality after 7 days compared to just 48% of control fruits. Marketing tests have proven that consumers come back for better quality fruit, thus retailers will see an increase in customer satisfaction.
AgroFresh's traceability studies show that fruit shipped long distances arrives at stores in better condition. Additional benefits include compatibility with residue-free programs and the potential for higher profitability.
An ACNielsen study in 24 stores in the Netherlands has proven that consumers recognize and appreciate the freshness, crunchiness and taste of SmartFresh quality apples. The comparison of 12 stores offering SmartFresh quality Elstar apples with 12 stores displaying regular Elstars over a 3 month period has shown a 12% increase in sales volume.
The Advantage for Consumers
Taste
Taste tests in the U.S. and in several European countries have proven that among consumers 70% prefer crunchiness, 60% prefer juiciness and 2 out of 3 consumers prefer SmartFresh quality fruit.
Crunchiness preference - Gala apples
ACNielsen in store taste test have shown a clear consumer preference for crunchier apples.
The test applers were kept for 10 days at room temperature after Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage.
85% of respondents preferred the crunchiness of the SmartFresh quality apples (firm to very firm fruits), versus 33% for the control apples.
Nutrition
Apples are a widely consumed, rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants. Nevertheless, research has shown that the vitamin C content decreases very quickly and at least by 50% in over 2 months of storage and 10 days of shelf life at regular temperature.
Several studies have proven that the SmartFresh Quality System contributes to a slowing down of the decrease of vitamin C throughout the whole apple supply chain. This is particularly the case, if SmartFresh is used during ULO storage, but even with all other traditional storage methods, there is consistent evidence that SmartFresh helps maintain the vitamin C content in a number of crops.
French studies in 2007 on the Vitamin C content of SmartFresh kiwifruit compared to regular stored kiwifruit, indicated 15 to 25% more vitamin C in the SmartFresh kiwifruit. Other recent studies found positive results with regard to flavonoid content retention and antioxidant activity in SmartFresh quality apples and pears.