Arcadia Biosciences, an agricultural food ingredient company, and Shriram Bioseed, a research and hybrid seed development company, have partnered to extend the shelf life of tomatoes.
Bioseed has field tested Arcadia’s extended shelf-life technology in multiple tomato hybrid backgrounds and the companies said “significant and consistent improvements in field yield and fruit quality, such as firmness, shelf life and colour development, were observed”.
These new hybrids are in the pre-commercial, wide area field testing stage with anticipated launch in 2019.
Using a screening and breeding technique called Tilling, Arcadia identified genetic variations that allow tomatoes to fully ripen on the vine, yet still remain durable enough to survive the packing and shipping process.
The California-based company said that because of their perishable nature, many harvested fresh fruits and vegetables spoil and become food waste instead of being consumed. It added that an estimated 20% to 35% of tomatoes on average are lost to post-harvest damage in Asia.
Arcadia CEO Raj Ketkar said: “These new varieties will reduce waste and spoilage in the production cycle while ensuring that the produce is fully ripe, better tasting, and still fresh when it reaches consumers.
“This development is a significant commercial milestone in advancing Arcadia’s extended shelf-life tomato technology that adds value throughout the tomato supply chain, from farm to consumers.”
“This trait is especially valuable in a country like India where fresh market tomatoes are mostly field grown and post-harvest handling and logistics are challenging,” added Paresh Verma, research director for Shriram Bioseed.
“Besides reducing post-harvest losses, extended shelf life and improved field holding capacity of tomatoes will add tremendous value for farmers and other stakeholders in supply chain.”
Arcadia’s extended shelf-life technology was developed in part under a US Department of Defense contract to create longer-lasting fresh produce for field troops stationed in remote locations. Arcadia received a patent for the technology in 2014.
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