“Fruit Attraction: an unmissable event for Citrosol”
Citrosol can affirm that the influx of the public and the increase in number of exhibitors are the two key features that have made Fruit Attraction 2022 stand out; a meeting place where the presence of national and international clients represents a great commercial opportunity where our solutions and post-harvest treatments can be shared. At this edition, our solutions for avocados and the launch of the CitroFy platform have aroused great interest amongst professionals within the sector.
Valencia Fruits. What would you highlight from this edition of Fruit Attraction? In what aspects do you consider that it has been different from previous ones?
Jorge Bretó. What, for me, stands out the most is the large influx of the public and the increase in the number of exhibitors, now exceeding the figures prior to the pandemic. The attendance of international clients, such as those from South Africa and South America, has been re-established as the norm; in the previous edition there were still restrictions in place due to Covid. It is indisputable that Fruit Attraction continues to grow, which is very important and beneficial to the entire fruit and vegetable sector.
VF. Have you been able to make many appointments with clients?
JB. Yes, added to the high number of meetings arranged in the days running up to the fair, many unforeseen appointments were made which meant that activity in our stand was even greater than that experienced in previous editions. Furthermore, the increase in attendance from clients from other countries has been noticeable.
VF. This year Citrosol presented interesting new products; which have been the ones that have had the greatest acceptance?
JB. Avocado cultivation continues to play a very important role at fairs, and especially at Fruit Attraction, where there is a pretty high presence from exporting countries. In this context, two solutions for that fruit, already implemented in some of the more important export markets such as Peru and Israel, have aroused great interest.
Our Citrocide® Avocado System, a technology for hygienic washing, and PlantSeal® Tropicals, a plant-based coating certified for vegan consumers and in the process of receiving certification as an organic input (EU), are able to double the commercial life of the avocado, allowing exporters to reach more distant destinations with greater guarantees and reduced losses.
The Citrocide® Avocado System guarantees food safety, reducing surface contamination and minimizing the risk of cross contamination. This reduces the risk of health alerts that can have consequences on public health and translate directly into economic losses.
At the same time, peduncular mold that appears on the avocado during its storage, transport and commercial distribution, has significant economic relevance, being the root cause of many claims. With the Citrocide® Avocado System, peduncular mold reduction rates of 100% are achieved after 25 days, and even at 40 days they are 90%. These results are similar, and in some cases even better, than with the Prochloraz treatment, but with the extraordinary advantage that the Citrocide® Avocado System is a solution that doesn’t leave any residue and is certified organic.
For its part, PlantSeal® Tropicals affords a high degree of prevention against internal necrosis resulting from chilling injury and with this coating we are able to control this type of browning by up to 84%.
VF. Citrosol has also presented CitroFy at the fair. What does this new technology facilitate?
JB. CitroFy is a system that connects all the processes and controls their application parameters in real-time, accessible from pretty much any device with an internet connection.
The application monitors the consumption of fungicides, coatings and water, from the entrance to the plant to its dispatch, in real time and by lot of fruit. It also gives the opportunity to record the information and generate customized reports, guaranteeing complete traceability of all processes. Furthermore, it is focused on the user experience since each operator only sees the actions relevant to them.
Throughout the duration of the fair, we were able to share the advantages of this technology, which is already installed in several firms, with our clients and during subsequent post-fair visits we held a number of demonstrations for clients from South Africa and Turkey, countries in which this platform will be installed shortly and that, without a doubt, will offer significant improvement over the control of post-harvest processes.
VF. As we are at the start of the citrus season, what impressions have you received from professional visitors about this year’s harvest?
JB. There is some concern about the reduction in the amount of citrus expected and the lack of size in some varieties. However, on the other hand, there is optimism at the start of the season, as it would seem that the situation that occurred last year, with large volumes of citrus entering Europe from the southern hemisphere, is not happening this year.
VF. What are the Citrosol ranges or products for citrus fruits that have aroused the most interest at Fruit Attraction?
JB. PlantSeal® plant-based coatings from the Biocare by Citrosol product range have continued to arouse visitor interest. These coatings are certified for organic agriculture (EU) and are suitable for vegan consumption, with the V-label license (vegan seal). PlantSeal® and PlantSeal® Shine-Free respond to the demands of the organic sector, which is constantly growing and is faced with the need to employ new tools with which to tackle the challenge of exporting with guarantees.
A recurring problem among citrus marketers is weight loss in the fruit, skin blemishes, chilling injury and premature aging. This problem is highly relevant in overseas shipments involving many days of travel. PlantSeal® coatings solve these problems and extend the commercial life of the citrus fruits. PlantSeal® affords weight loss control of up to 50%, an effectiveness that is much higher than that obtained with other conventional coatings. Both coatings offer a natural shine, and in the case of PlantSeal® Shine-Free its presence on the fruit is almost imperceptible.
In the case of the Tahiti lime, we have also analyzed how, thanks to the PlantSeal® coating, exporters are now able to reach more distant markets with better guarantees, with the fruit arriving with a greener color and with firmer calyxes.
VF. On balance, what do you make of this edition? Is Fruit Attraction still an unmissable event for Citrosol?
JB. The balance is more than just positive. Fruit Attraction continues to grow and it is clear that for us it is the most important meeting point in the national market. For Citrosol it is an unmissable event. Thanks to it being held at exactly the right time or year, it is managing to attract an increasing number of international clients.
VF. See you at Fruit Attraction 2023?
JB. Sure; wouldn’t miss it for the world.
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