Controlled atmosphere packaging for blueberries gaining popularity
Like other bush berries, blueberries benefit from modified atmosphere packaging and controlled atmosphere. Achieving the desired composition will preserve firmness and inhibit fungal decay during long distance transactions. Nevertheless, too low or too high CO2 concentrations will aggravate softening and too high CO2 may also result in effervescence (fizziness).
Therefore, packaging design and postharvest handling are critical in order to obtain the desired, beneficial gas compositions and added value, according to the company Johnson Matthey.
Xtend packaging modified atmosphere/modified humidity bulk packaging for blueberries is growing in popularity amongst blueberry exporters in numerous countries including Chile, Peru, Morocco, Spain, Poland, to name a few. This is primarily on account of the packaging's ability to provide optimal modified atmosphere conditions and also manage condensation during prolonged shipment, thereby reducing decay and preserving firmness.
Nevertheless, in Poland, Morocco and Spain, customers are using the packaging to ship loosely packed blueberries to their customers in Western Europe.
"Receiving loose blueberries in Xtend bulk packaging enables the importers to buffer their stock and then when there is a demand from the retailers, the blueberries are tipped on grading machines (such as the BBC grader, manufactured by BBC Technologies, a New Zealand-based company developing innovative sorting technology) and then packed in punnets to be shipped directly to the supermarket."
"This model provides a great deal of flexibility to the importer and avoids logistical nightmares associated with rework on prepacked blueberries in the event of quality issues." the company claimed in a press release.
They also state that their specially designed lidding film can replace clam shells, open top punnets and punnets covered with macro-perforated lidding film and provide additional shelf life at the supermarket store and consumers home on account of modified atmosphere conditions that develop within.
Another Xtend retail packaging solution the company offers that is gaining momentum in Chile right now is for flow pack, enabling some Chilean exporters to export the punnets individually wrapped in modified atmosphere packaging. This format is also ideal for E-commerce.
"On account of the fact that blueberries are often sold on the open market in China, where temperatures can be in excess of 20°C at this time of the year, packaging permeability was specially designed to avoid accumulation of high levels of CO2 which aggravate softening and cause effervescence (fizziness) and yet still provide the added value that the Chinese customers are looking for." they finished.
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