Brazilian technology for fruit preservation enters multinational catalog with global launch

While in Brazil, Embrapa celebrated its 48th anniversary on Wednesday (28/04), with the launch of technologies, in Philadelphia (USA), the carnauba wax nanoemulsion was launched worldwide by AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. with the name Life Ultra. The insertion of the technology into the global market takes place within the VitaFresh Botanicals natural products expansion platform of the North American multinational, global leader in post-harvest solutions.

Developed by Embrapa Instrumentação (São Carlos – SP) in partnership with QGP Tanquímica and the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the technology preserves the quality and extends the lifespan of fruits for longer, on average, by up to 15 days. The impact on the sustainable way of producing and consuming is reflected in the reduction of food losses and waste, a serious problem worldwide.

Researcher Marcos David Ferreira, one of those responsible for developing the carnauba wax nanoemulsion, explains that the triangulation between the three institutions involved a different business model. QGP Tanquímica, licensed to manufacture the solution, signed a cooperation contract with AgroFresh aiming to leverage the product in the national and international market.

“The entry of AgroFresh is boosting the adoption of the technology by productive sectors in countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia, allowing a larger contingent to benefit”, says the researcher about Embrapa Instrumentação’s first technology launched, distributed and sold internationally.

“The overall nano emulsion technology process used to produce VitaFresh Botanicals - Life Ultra produces an exceptional solution for maintaining freshness,” added QGP Tanquímica's research and development manager, Marilene Ribeiro.

AgroFresh is the largest national and international distributor of carnauba nanoemulsion. The company's CEO, Clint Lewis, said it was a pleasure to join forces with the Brazilian company for the global launch of this new coating.

“Life Ultra is an important part of the VitaFresh Botanicals portfolio and continues AgroFresh’s decades-long commitment to innovation and reducing food loss and waste. We are happy with the way this plant-based solution opens up business opportunities for consumers in the food chain, packers and retailers”, says the CEO.

Among the factors that contributed to the rapid insertion of technology in the market are sustainable development, functionality, ease of use, flexibility, innovation, strong connection with the production sector and security. The nanoemulsion maintains the sensory properties of the fruit, reduces mass loss and provides shine.

“The internationalization of this technology across several continents confirms the excellence of national research. It unequivocally demonstrates that investment in S&T feeds a virtuous cycle of economic, social and environmental impacts”, recalls the general head of Embrapa Instrumentação, João de Mendonça Naime.

According to the Social Report released this week, the Company generated a social profit of R$61,85 billion last year. It can be said, therefore, that the social return index is R$ 17,77 for each real invested in Embrapa.

Environmental and socioeconomic gains were decisive for the German company Lemon Fresh to apply the product to 15% of the fruit processed daily. The company is coating the popular Tahiti lemon and exporting it to Europe and the Middle East - an Asian region made up of 15 countries - from Germany.

According to the commercial director, Luís Carlos Rugeri, the company's expectation is to use the technology in 100% of the fruit, expand its share in the European market and enter the entire Asian continent, the most extensive and populous in the world, with almost five billion of people.

“We observed that the nanoemulsion reduces the weight loss of the fruit, increasing the shelf life in cold storage by up to three times, in addition to improving the quality of the juice and its color,” says the director.

The technology was developed in around seven years of research, with the technical and scientific support of the National Laboratory of Nanotechnology for Agribusiness (LNNA), based at Embrapa Instrumentação and support from development agencies. Among them, the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

In Brazil, the third largest fruit producer in the world, with a great diversity of cultivated species, business-based rural producers and post-harvest fruit processing companies are the main targets of the technology.