StePac PCC, a leader in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) for fresh produce, is offering a solution to tackle the challenges associated with long transit times.
For example, the long distance between origin and destination, dragon fruit faces a weeks-long trek that threatens its quality. This adds insult to injury, as the industry is already grappling with falling prices from a glut of pitahaya (dragon fruit) in the US and Mexico.
To stay ahead in the now-crowded domestic pitahaya market, growers and shippers must outsmart the clock or risk delivering lackluster fruit.
StePac PCC’s packaging is designed specifically for dragon fruit. The company’s new product is a tailored version of the proprietary Xtend® MA/MH packaging and aims to preserve the shelf life of pitahayas en route from Ecuador to the US and Europe.
StePac notes company engineers mold these materials into different formats, including pallet shrouds, bin liners, and, in this case, a film to protect pitahayas.
The company reports the film was carefully crafted for pitahayas, which are prone to dehydration and wilting due to their high respiration rate.
The packaging was designed to slow this process down by balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations. The film also controls moisture to maintain the fruit’s firmness and protruding bracts, and preserves its vibrant, glossy appearance throughout the trip.
Pitahaya has been traditionally shipped loose or in basic packaging formats providing little to no control over the internal atmosphere or humidity, offering limited protection during long sea voyages. Right now, the packaging allows the fruit to withstand sea shipments of three weeks or more.
Shelf-life extension varies depending on conditions, but this significantly exceeds what is achievable with traditional packaging.
The fruit is a fast-growing, high-value product with strong global demand facing significant postharvest challenges during long-distance shipments.
Growers were struggling to reach distant markets in acceptable condition, which made dragon fruit a natural candidate for a tailored modified packaging.
The Company studied pitahaya’s respiratory behavior, moisture sensitivity, and postharvest challenges for three years.
StePac then adjusted film permeability to create the optimal internal atmosphere under real supply chain conditions and collaborated with growers and shippers to test the product.
Repeated trials were conducted with frequent field visits, and optimization of postharvest handling protocols, as well as refinement of the packaging design to ensure consistent performance.
As far as pricing, it is noted exporters report benefits such as reduced waste, improved quality, and access to new markets, which generally outweigh the additional packaging costs by yielding higher returns.
The company is currently working to scale its proprietary packaging to other fruits, since each deal comes with its own set of challenges.
Fruits and vegetables have very different respiration rates, sensitivities to low oxygen, and critical to elevated carbon dioxide concentrations, as well as different moisture requirements.