Germany-based shelf-life solutions specialist Food Freshly has announced the expansion of services at its fruit and vegetable food safety testing laboratory for companies across the fresh produce sector. 

Apart from identifying bacteria hazards, the facility can also be used to carry out shelf-life tests on specific products, enabling producers to gain an accurate idea of a fresh-cut product’s 

At Fruit Logistica 2023, Food Freshly will be highlighting its ability to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables by as much as 21 days.

Food Freshly has spent the last two years developing food safety testing systems at its Bielefeld, Germany laboratories with the aim of helping fresh-cut fruit and vegetable processors to deliver products with the maximum level of safety. 

“We are operating a laboratory at Food Freshly headquarters with our food scientists, chemists, and biologists. We are always looking at new ways to provide processes for the fresh-cut industry to reduce bacteria or to improve food safety,” said Food Freshly Director of Technical Sales, Benjamin Singh.

Food Freshly can also carry out in-house analysis of all kinds of potentially harmful bacteria that can be present in fresh-cut foods for companies looking to move away from the use of chlorine washes. 

Shelf-life assessment

However, more than just food safety, Food Freshly’s laboratories can also provide an accurate assessment of the shelf-life of ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, considering certain conditions.

 “We can really narrow it down on where the problems are with specific fruits,” Singh continued. 

“For example, is it prone to growing certain microorganisms? Certain fruits carry a lot of bacteria at the start and a lot of vegetables, especially root vegetables, can be the most highly contaminated with bacteria,” stated Singh.

Singh said Food Freshly was aiming to provide wider testing services going forward, with the aim of determining what level of control was necessary for each fruit or vegetable item and suggesting optimum options for tackling bacterial threats.