What’s keeping growers and distributors of lychees, the delicious tropical fruits, from supplying them fresh to distant countries in large numbers? Many other delicate fruits, including berries, are exported in much greater quantities. So how come lychees are limited mostly to their local markets? For example, 95% of Vietnamese lychee produce is sold fresh in areas close to growing sites.
The main reason is their characteristic red color fades to yellow, and then to an unattractive brown within a matter of days following harvest. It's a race against time to get them to market, for them to enjoy only a very short shelf-life.
One alternative to prevent the color from changing consists of applying a sulfur rinse. Not only does this treatment give the fruit a noticeable aftertaste, but also its use is likely to become restricted in the near future in several major markets such as the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
EcoLychee is an all-natural processing technology that helps the fruit’s peculiar skin maintain its deep red color for up to 5 weeks. Obviously, this opens up entire new markets for growers and distributors. It gives them time to reach more distant places, while retailers get longer selling periods. Consumers can keep them at home for a few extra days too, as the fruit quality remains high all along the chain. Another great advantage is that processing with EcoLychee may take place when it’s raining, while the sulfur treatment cannot.
EcoLychee is based on a proprietary process that includes heating and cooling using a food certified natural solution that fixes the color of the fruit for an extended period. Using all natural ingredients, it is totally safe, tested, and approved. With a standard operating capacity of 700 to 1,000 kg of produce per hour, Juran’s EcoLychee systems have already been installed in Israel, Australia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and most recently for the Westfalia Fruit company in Mozambique.
"This significant shelf-life extension has the potential to become the breakthrough lychee producers have been waiting for."
For more information:
Mr. Avner Galili
Juran Technologies
Tel: +972-3-9640377
Email: avner@juran.co.il