Citrosol arrives at the new Fruit Attraction with its most extensive range of organic products

"The turnover of these products has grown notably, increasing by almost 50% during the last season compared to the previous one, which was when we launched them onto the market. We are therefore very satisfied with its evolution and we continue to work to ensure that it continues in this way," says the company's CEO, Jorge Bretó. The Biocare by CITROSOL range is made up of half a dozen post-harvest solutions, all of them present in Madrid in a few days. Two safe-to-use disinfectants for the hygienic washing of fruit and vegetables, which keep the treatment and process water microbiologically clean; a product for the control of citrus rot which increases their shelf life; and finally, three wax-based coatings made from plant extracts called PlantSeal®, PlantSeal®Shine Free and PlantSeal® Tropical to reduce weight loss and chilling damage during the cold storage of citrus fruit. Less food wasteSpecial mention should be made of these new coatings (PlantSeal®, also certified with the V-Label seal for vegan consumption) as, thanks to the excellent control of weight loss and mitigating the symptoms of ageing, they contribute to reducing food waste, in this case of citrus fruits, thus responding to the current SDG policies, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. Less environmental footprintIn fact, sustainability is the cross-cutting argument that underpins the entire Citrosol catalogue. From the aforementioned coatings that reduce food waste to others, such as Sunseal® and Citrosol A S UE, which reduce the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions by lowering the drying temperature in the tunnels, or tools such as the Citrocide® Systems and the Citrosol Zero Waste® System that reduce the water footprint. The Citrocide® Systems for hygienic washing of fruit and vegetables and pre-prepared convenience food disinfect the wash water, recirculating the water and therefore reducing the water footprint; while the Zero Discharge® also reduces the water footprint by reusing the treatment broth, thus avoiding the generation of wastewater. The latestIn addition, Citrosol has recently developed the Plantseal® Tropical coating suitable for avocados and mangoes, which is registered with the vegan label and is currently being registered for organic. "Citrosol is continually improving its products and treatment technologies so that fruit, citrus and vegetables reach their destination with less and less waste while maintaining all their quality attributes so that they reach the consumer as if they had just been harvested", stresses Jorge Bretó. More solutions for the marketAn ecological solution that is sustainable and also demanded by the markets. This third aspect is another main pillar of Citrosol's R+D+i work which will be visible during the first week of October at IFEMA in Madrid. An example of this response to market demands are the new CI-Control (CIC) formulations which allow equal or greater efficacy in the control of cold spotting in refrigerated citrus shipments, and the key is that this is achieved by reducing the number of active ingredients used. CIC formulations implemented in coatings such as Citrosol Sunseal® UE, Sunseal® Extra UE, Plantseal®, Plantseal® Shine-free, Citrosol A, AK Camara UE, Citrosol AK UE and Citrosol AK UE Special. Another response to what the market is looking for is the new Citrocide® Fresh-Cut System for pre-prepared convenience food. "It will improve food safety and reduce water consumption in the washing process in the minimally processed fruit and vegetable industry", says Jorge Bretó. The Citrocide® Fresh-Cut system extends the shelf life of bagged fruit and vegetables. It is a system that converts the washing machine into a Critical Control Point, a real firewall that prevents cross-contamination and reduces the surface microbiological load. This prevents contamination of the pulp during processing and cutting of pre-prepared convenience food. Another example of this constant innovation that responds to the needs of the markets is the Citrocide® Avocado System, which doubles the shelf life of the avocado, a foodstuff that is so fashionable on the planet. With this hygienic wash, pulp necrosis, stalk mould and loss of weight and firmness are controlled. Finally, Citrosol will once again be exhibiting its portable laboratory Easy® Kit for determining residues in fruit, water concentration and wax concentration at Fruit Attraction. "A tool that has been revolutionary for verifying rot control treatments and compliance with residues in fruit", adds Bretó.