Press Release

Over the last few years, Citrosol has kept pace with the avocado market, burgeoning on a global level by launching two tools to increase commercial life and, therefore, the commercialization of this fruit.

A new development of our Citrocide® hygienic washing system made specifically for avocados and a new coating that prevents chilling injury and mitigates weight loss during refrigerated transport whilst maintaining the firmness and the avocado’s organoleptic properties.

Lately, there has been a notable increase in health alerts pertaining to pathogens in foodstuffs of non-animal origin both in Europe and in the USA, according to reports from the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).

In addition, the new regulations of the United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) agency on food safety, include preventive controls on exports from countries outside of the USA. Under such circumstances, Citrosol’s new solutions designed to improve and lengthen postharvest life become even more relevant, particularly those aimed at an expanding market around the world such as the avocado.

Citrocide® Palta System is one of these new solutions for the hygienic washing of avocado and it represents a radical improvement for food safety. It is effective against bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses; controls surface contamination of not just the fruit, but also the washing machinery; guaranteeing the disinfection of the wash water whilst not leaving residues or generating DBPs, such as chlorates, perchlorates, or trihalomethanes.

Conventional washing methods are not able to reduce fruit and vegetable produce contamination to safe levels. However, when using our Citrocide® Palta System, the washing machine is turned into a Critical Control Point, a firewall that prevents cross-contamination and minimizes surface contamination of the avocado.

Peduncular mold reduction

Peduncular mold affects the quality of the product upon arrival at its destination and is caused by saprophytic fungi that grow on the peduncle during storage and refrigerated transport of the avocado. Its appearance, in many cases, results in a commercial claim.

By washing the avocado with the Citrocide® Palta System, peduncular mold reduction rates of 100% are achieved after 25 days and even after 40 days at 90%. The results are similar to, and in some cases even better than, those obtained using conventional treatment with the fungicide Prochloraz (figure 1).

Fig. 1: Evolution of Peduncular mold in batch 7849 producer 1160 (commercial life test at 5º & 90% RH)% of fruit with peduncular mold

Sodium hypochlorite treatments at 200 ppm were not effective in controlling Peduncle mold (figure 2).

Fig. 2: % incidence of Peduncular mold en batch 1 (after 32 days at 6º y 85% RH) % Incidence of peduncular mold.

Therefore, washing the avocado with the Citrocide® Palta System is the solution against peduncular mold that develops during the preservation and transport of this fruit. Furthermore, it does not leave any residue on the fruit or generate any DBPs.

In summary, with the Citrocide® Palta System, the incidence of peduncular mold is drastically reduced, even after 40 days, allowing shipping to distant destinations without post-harvest losses and, in consequence, greatly reducing claims.

Other advantages of the Sist. Citrocide® Avocado

Citrocide® Palta allows an automated, effective, and efficient industrial application, at an optimal and safe dose achieving homogeneous results. In addition, this system for control and monitoring of the washing process fully recycles the water and therefore provides a substantial saving in water consumption in a hygienic and safe way. It is, therefore, an environmentally sustainable tool.

Citrosol’s system is adaptable to any fruit and vegetable washing machine with minimal structural modifications.

New coating A K Avocados EU

“The significant increase in the volume of avocado exports in recent years makes it essential to apply the most effective technologies to increase commercial life and avoid losses and unnecessary waste. With this in mind, Citrosol developed Citrosol A K Paltas UE to enable the delivery of avocados to increasingly distant markets in the best condition possible ”, it was commented from the Citrosol research center.

"Citrosol A K Paltas UE allows us to extend the useful life of the fruit during transport and prolonged storage, with excellent control of weight loss, whilst maintaining the firmness and without interfering with the natural color change of the fruit during ripening", they added.

The effectiveness of Citrosol A K Avocados UE in controlling chilling injury is very high; the internal necrosis of avocado (that which appears on display in the store) that is caused by cold damage, is reduced by 84%. Another parameter of great relevance is the firmness of the pulp, in general consumers do not want to buy avocados that are too soft. Throughout refrigerated transport and its commercial life, the fruit loses firmness, but this remains at much higher levels - double - in fruit with the Citrosol A K Paltas UE coating. Applying the Citrosol A K Avocado EU coating we doubled the commercial life of the avocado.