Netherlands-based shelf-life extension technology company PerfoTec has introduced a ground- breaking Packaging Solution for Flowers, that will make the use of water in the supply chain redundant. Explaining the technology, Bas Groeneweg, director of PerfoTec,
explained that the shelf- life of flowers can be extended using the AMAP (Active Modified Atmospheric Packaging) technology, where it has already a major presence globally in the fresh fruits and vegetables markets.
However, the humidity inside the packaging of flowers during transport can cause diseases such as Botrytis, which was the great challenge. This was when Uflex, India’s largest global
flexible packaging solutions company bought Perfotec Systems for India while it was facing similar issues with mangoes due to the tropical nature of the produce.
Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director, Uflex, was happy to accept the challenge and the team at Uflex developed a new biodegradable film Flexfresh which could keep the product breathing in hydrated oxygen and release excess humidity keeping the flowers dry. Using Perfotec’s Fast Respiration Meter, the oxygen demand of flowers is measured and using a patented laser technology makes micro perforation on Flexfresh film to allow enough oxygen for the flowers to stay alive and prevent them from excess oxidation. The flowers are ‘put to sleep’ so to speak and can go without water for five days as the humidity is fed back into a flower when it continues to breathe. Once the package is received by the customer and opened, the bouquet remains fresh in a vase for at least
a guaranteed seven days.
This global partnership between Uflex and PerfoTec has now demonstrated a technology which can offer guaranteed shelf-life extension, lower logistics cost, overall reduction in carbonfoot print and better products to the final consumer, states Siva Shankaran, vice president – Flexfresh, Uflex. “This new solution is available for fresh flowers from growers to market in bulk liner bags,retail packs and also for internet deliveries covering the entire
market requirements,” adds Andrew Sharp, international business director, Perfotec BV.
Chaturvedi says, “This new pathbreaking innovation by Uflex ensures that the film is compostable, giving a responsible packaging solution to the entire fresh produce supply chain and millions of gallons of water currently used in the flower supply chain is clearly
eliminated thereby making it one of the most sustainable packaging.
