Grower/packer/shipper Kliewer Farms LLC announces a successful postharvest trial with Chicago-based shelf-life extension tech developer, Hazel Technologies, using the Hazel 100 sachet on the company’s exclusive kiwifruit variety, Mega Kiwi. As a California grower of kiwifruit with 300+ acres of production, Kliewer supplies fruit both domestically and internationally, specializing in Mega, Hayward and Gold kiwi varieties alongside an array of stone fruit, table grapes and citrus.
For almost 40 years, Kliewer has been part of Central California’s kiwifruit category. Two generations of the Kliewer family currently run the operation and started marketing the Mega Kiwi variety in 2017.
Most kiwifruit purchased in the United States is the Hayward variety of kiwifruit. Still, Kliewer has found that Mega Kiwi is 70 percent more self-pollinating and more productive per acre, making it a much more sustainable fruit. Having had previous success with Hazel 100 on its Hayward variety, the growers at Kliewer wanted to see how the postharvest solution would pair with its new, naturally sustainable crop.
Having had previous success with Hazel 100 on its Hayward variety, the growers at Kliewer wanted to see how the postharvest solution would pair with its new, naturally sustainable crop.
During the trial, researchers found that Mega Kiwi treated with Hazel 100 saw an approximate 35 percent increase in average flesh firmness versus the control after one month in cold storage and four days in ambient temperature.
“We want our dry weight matter to be as high as possible for our kiwifruit to taste sweet and appeal to consumers,” says Kliewer Farms COO Jerin Kliewer, a current member of the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee. “Hazel 100 helps us accomplish this. During our recent trial with them, we measured the core and shoulder pressures throughout the trial, and it proved Hazel 100 does well for both Mega and Hayward varieties in the ripening process.”
Left to right: Jerin Kliewer, Mike Rubidoux
“It’s really exciting to see positive results with both Hayward and Mega kiwifruit,” said Mike Rubidoux, director of sales strategy at Hazel Technologies. “For a very long time, the kiwifruit industry has been hesitant to use 1-MCP on their fruit due to kiwifruit’s sensitivity to ethylene. With these trial results, we know Hazel 100’s slow-release feature is tailored enough to slow the fruit’s aging process without completely slowing the natural ripening process. We look forward to continuing trialing other solutions with Kliewer during the upcoming season.”
For more information:
Hazel Technologies
Tel: +1 (559) 321-2146
media@hazeltechnologies.com
www.hazeltechnologies.com