Stepac developed new Xtend giant bin liners

StePac is proud to announce the successful development of the new Xtend MA/MH giant bin liners (2.5 x 2.5 meters) that are available for pomegranates and melons. The product for pomegranates has already gained commercial success during the 2010-11 season. The product for melons which was successfully trialed during the 2010-11 season is particularly suitable for the processing industry, where melons are often shipped in 200-400Kg bins instead of cartons. This represents a considerable saving associated with reduced labor costs, packaging costs, and also represents a substantial reduction in carbon emissions.

“Since surface area: volume ratio decreases with increasing volume of fruit, large amounts of moisture can be expected per unit of surface area in bin liners. A high moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) that will eliminate excess condensation and reduce the risk of decay associated with it on the one hand and prevent excess dehydration on the other is therefore a prerequisite for a successful product. StePac’s polymer engineers knew what was required and delivered the ideal solution.” says Dr. Gary Ward, StePac’s CTO. “The bin liners are also designed to provide a desirable modified atmosphere (MA), which slows down respiration, inhibits ethylene and decay and thereby maintains freshness during prolonged storage and transportation.”

“The impressive results of commercial trials from Central America to Europe using Xtend bin liners highlight the importance of both high MVTR and the presence of modified atmosphere during prolonged transportation of melons”, adds Mark Gimenez, StePac’s Melon specialist in Central America. “In a commercial trial that was conducted at the very end of the 2011 Central American season, Caribbean Gold melons arriving in the 2nd week of June after 37 days storage and transportation in Xtend bin liners, still had great internal quality for fresh cut with firmness values of 3.9 ± 0.5 psi. There was no condensation and no decay in the liner."

Xtend MA/MH bin liners for pomegranates are about to enter their second year of commercial use. The importance of a high MVTR is best seen when comparing perfrormance with that polyethylene bin liners, characterized by low MVTR values: profuse condensation is noticed in polyethylene bin liners during prolonged storage at 6°C, whereas no condensation is evident in the Xtend bin liners. This condensation results in a high percentage of surface rot and crown decay in polyethylene bin liners as is evident below.

StePac is in the midst of qualifying the product for additional produce items that are processed, where long storage/transportation and high quality upon arrival are prerequisites.

For more information, please visit: www.stepac.com