07 Jan 2020 --- Functional packaging innovator StePac has launched a range of recyclable solutions designed to preserve the freshness and significantly extend the shelf-life of pomegranates and their extracted arils. The technology is based on a unique modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) system that reduces respiration rates and ethylene production for a combined effect of slowing down aging and ripening. It also inhibits the proliferation of pathogens.
The climate positive packaging formats, which will be showcased at the upcoming Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Germany, are tailored to the automation of both bulk and retail packing. Pomegranates are experiencing strong demand globally and boast numerous health benefits, including a rich source of vitamin C, E and K.
Despite their tough exterior, whole fresh pomegranates host a range of challenges that arise with prolonged storage. In the absence of proper protection, the fruit can suffer significant dehydration and weight loss, causing it to shrivel. This may be accompanied by the development of skin blemishes and crown decay that eventually leaches into the fruit and impairs the quality and taste of the arils.
“Pomegranates contain more than 100 phytochemicals with many reputed health benefits,” Gary Ward, Ph.D., Business Development Manager for StePac, tells PackagingInsights. “They are a rich source of antioxidants, helping to prevent cancer, protect against Alzheimer's disease and heart disease, while they also have anti-inflammatory properties. Pomegranates are also a rich source of vitamin C, E and K and provide a good source of folate and potassium. These multiple health benefits have led to a renaissance in the consumption of this Biblical fruit.”
StePac’s pomegranate packaging portfolio incorporates long storage packaging formats to meet the requirements of growers seeking glut management solutions for post-harvest bulk storage. 
Pomegranates packers can store up to 400 kg of the fruit in StePac Xtend bin liners for three months or longer, with no negative effect on the fruit.
Pomegranate growers and packers are now able to load fresh-picked pomegranates directly at the orchard and store up to 400 kg of the fruit in each specialized StePac Xtend bin liner for periods of three months or longer, with no negative effect on the fruit. This is in addition to storage liners for the weight of 10-80 kg that are already widely used in many countries.
The Xtend line also includes unique carton liners that offer an ideal solution for maintaining fruit quality during the lengthy shipments to distant locations.
Climate positive packaging
StePac developed film structures containing a unique sealing layer that facilitates leaner packaging and induces savings of up to 40 percent in material use. The solutions also reduce labor costs by enabling pomegranates to be flow-packed in both bulk and retail formats.
The company recently finalized the development of fully recyclable Xgo lidding films and standing pouches to add to this category of retail-packaging products. These solutions are designed to inhibit postharvest microbial decay and extend the shelf-life of extracted pomegranate arils for up to 17 days, preserving the fruit’s organoleptic properties. The lidding films are available in lean easy peel and resealable formats.
“Both the standing pouches and the lidding film are mono-based materials (polyethylene) which can be mechanically recycled in existing recycling streams,” Gary Ward, Ph.D., Business Development Manager for StePac, tells PackagingInsights.
“The Xtend bin liner can be mechanically recycled for downstream applications. We are hopeful that chemical recycling will be approved to facilitate the full recycling of this product into its starting monomers,” Ward adds.
All of StePac's MAP products are climate positive, preserving quality and reducing waste in the supply chain and indirectly saving more CO2 emissions than are produced in the lifecycle of the packaging.
StePac's fully recyclable Xgo lidding films inhibit postharvest microbial decay and extend the shelf-life of extracted pomegranate arils for up to 17 days.
Water vapor transmission technology
StePac has developed a comprehensive repertoire of films with built-in abilities to regulate water-vapor transmission rates as well as provide optimal modified atmosphere conditions. The films incorporate distinct properties to cater to a range of pomegranate packaging applications.
“During prolonged storage of this fruit, it is paramount to strike the perfect balance between eliminating excess free moisture to mitigate the risk of microbial decay and to concurrently avoid excessive product dehydration,” Ward explains. “Such balance depends on multiple synergistic factors, including the surface area to volume ratio, produce weight, supply chain length, and shipping and storage conditions.”
“Pomegranates are in demand in every continent,” he enthuses. “The global reach of our technology is instrumental in addressing the challenges facing the pomegranate industry and for ensuring that both the whole fruit and the extracted arils reach the consumers – wherever they might be – in prime condition while keeping waste to a minimum.”
Demand for pomegranates is particularly high in the US, China, India, Mediterranean countries, Europe, Russia and CIS countries, Ward notes. StePac is currently supplying packaging to the vast majority of countries that supply these markets across all continents other than Antarctica.
Looking to the future
StePac invests heavily in R&D and technical support to remain at the forefront of innovative MAP products.
“We are continuously monitoring the performance of our packaging and monitoring market trends and when we identify opportunities for new product development or to enhance the performance of existing packaging products, we will explore them,” Ward tells PackagingInsights.
In October, StePac announced its four-pillared strategy for greener packaging. The strategy supports the need for climate-positive plastic packaging, addressing the critical problem of food waste with shelf-life extending solutions.
The Isreali-based innovator champions plastic as the material most capable of minimizing food waste and supports mechanical and chemical recycling as key components of a circular economy.
Stepac supplies shelf-life extending packaging for an extensive range of fresh produce, including broccoli, blueberries and cherries.
By Joshua Poole
