Fruit Logistica announces finalists for Innovation Award 2019

Ten finalists for Fruit Logistica Innovation Award (FLIA) 2019 have been selected.

“The FLIA is regarded as the most important industry award,” said Madlen Miserius, Senior Product Manager, Fruit Logistica. “Accompanied by high-profile media coverage, it recognizes new products, services or technical solutions that are destined to drive the global fresh produce industry forward, from production to point of sale.”

More than 77,000 top-class buyers and trade visitors from more than 130 countries vote for the innovation of the year on the first two days of the fair on Feb. 6-7, 2019. The 10 nominees are presented in the passageway between Halls 20 and 21. This is also where the winners will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 8. This is the 14th year of the FLIA honors.

A panel of experts from all levels of the fresh produce industry selected the following 10 nominees from more than 70 submissions:

FLIA Finalists

• Avocado Pitter 300-AVC, CTI Food Tech, Italy. The Avocado Pitter 300-AVC is a patented machine for removing avocado seeds. It guides and transports the avocados gently into a special feeder tank at a speed of up to 300 avocados per minute. In the tank, the pear-shaped fruits are positioned vertically in a special holder and cut into two halves from above and below without splitting the seed. A pin then removes the seed and the fruit remains completely undamaged. Up to now the avocado seed has been removed manually in processing plants worldwide.
• DCM Viscotec Blue, De Ceuster Meststoffen – DCM, Belgium. An odorless, highly concentrated, water-soluble and easy to dose mild gel fertilizer for use in organic agriculture and horticulture. A high 9-percent nitrogen content in combination with 5-percent potassium has a bio-stimulating effect. Amino acids activate the root system, ensuring a considerably enlarged root surface, improved nutrient absorption and rapid plant growth. The gel fertilizer is considered to be extremely pure and is approved for use in organic farming.
• Fred the Pear, VariCom, Switzerland. A red-cheeked CH 201 pear variety in the premium segment. It is characterized by constant fruit size, crunchy texture and consistency, as well as a pleasant balance of sweetness and light acidity. “Fred­ the pear” has a robust fruit skin, does not drip and maintains an optimum balance between crispness and juiciness.
• Modula, Roter Italia, Italy. An electronic sowing machine in which flexible piercing elements pick up the plant seed and place the optimum sowing quantity in the soil troughs surrounded by mulch film at a sowing distance appropriate to the respective plant culture. Activation or deactivation takes place directly on the display. The flexibility of the sowing distances and the adaptation to different crop types is unusually high.
• Oriental Red Kiwifruit, Jingold, Italy. A red Dong-Hong kiwi originally from China with unique organoleptic characteristics that are significantly different from those of traditional Hayward kiwi. Their sweetness with 20 to 21 degrees Brix and a tropical exotic aftertaste make them very popular. The Red Kiwifruit has an excellent shelf life.
• PerfoTecO2Control, PerfoTec, Netherlands. In protective gas packaging, an optimum mixture of CO2, oxygen and nitrogen is adapted to the individual respiration requirements of the respective fruit and vegetable product in a product-specific packaging. PerfoTecO2Control is a CO2 protective gas system suitable for all packaging machines with a patented gas flushing tube, in which a finely adjusted gas mixture is controlled and developed. An intelligent three-sensor gas flow software guarantees the exact gas mixture required during pre-gas purging in the special pipe. Increased packaging speed, gas reduction and a significant increase in shelf life are the key advantages.
• Redlander, Bejo, Netherlands. A red hybrid onion almost completely resistant to downy mildew, fresh and juicy, with good skin quality and a light interior color. For production the seed is available as organic and conventional in various pack sizes. Considered to have particularly good harvest and storage properties.
• Slide Valeriana Eco, Hortech, Italy. An electrically operated full harvesting machine for lamb’s lettuce with a special comb conveyor system to optimise transport. The large steering radius of 75 degrees guarantees the highest cutting quality. The machine is equipped with three-phase asynchronous motors without brushes, 48-volt batteries with an output of 450 ampere-hours, and a built-in charger with a charge storage capacity of up to 16 hours, ensuring ecologically sustainable operation.
• Softripe Ripening Technology, Frigotec, Germany. Fully automatic ripening technology for bananas and other tropical fruits in which they are ripened homogeneously and naturally according to their biology. This ripening technology dispenses with a rigid time and temperature program and is considered to be an energy saver. In special ripening chambers, the concentration and amount of the ripening gas ethyleneis regulated just as dynamically as air temperature, oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels. This ensures faster ripening, longer shelf life and an optimal acid-sugar balance, reflected in the taste. The customer can be offered fruit of different degrees of ripeness according to his tastes.
• Top-sealable compostable, recyclable strawberry punnet, CKF, Canada. A sealable, compostable and recyclable wood pulp tray for 350-400 grams of strawberries. With the sealing film, the packaging contains only the smallest possible amount of plastic. It offers a high level of protection, good visibility of the product and a longer shelf life than conventional plastic trays.