We develop natural, eco-friendly, postharvest solutions that prolong the shelf life of fresh produce. Based on a novel, patented encapsulation technology that delivers a sustained release of natural essential oils, our solutions effectively block fungal growth, prevent sprouting, and kill germs in a growing list of fresh fruits and vegetables after harvesting.
Natural & Non-toxic
BioLeaf’s solution is a state-of-the-art technology that utilizes the natural fungicidal and bactericidal properties of essential oils.
- Natural-based
- non-toxic
- antifungal & antibacterial
Essential oils are complex volatile compounds that plants produce naturally during the process of secondary metabolism. The different types of aldehydes, phenolics, terpenes, and other antimicrobial compounds in essential oils effectively destroy some bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens.
Without intervention, essential oils evaporate quickly, rendering their antimicrobial effect negligible. BioLeaf has successfully overcome this challenge through the development of innovative microencapsulation technology. The BioLeaf proprietary encapsulation solution controls the release profile of essential oils, allowing it to be used in postharvest and supply chain treatment of fresh produce.
Alternative to Chemical Fungicides
A natural solution is a healthy solution. Our products are FDA food-grade standard: GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) and leave no residues on fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Non-carcinogenic
- chemical-free
- GRAS FDA recognition
Historically, chemical fungicides & bactericides have been common treatments to prevent mold-associated decay in fresh fruit and vegetables during postharvest and supply chain has been. However, continued and prolonged use of chemical-based treatments have caused mold to become resistant, necessitating progressively higher treatment potency or newer chemistries. Both are problematic due to increasing public health safety risks and the lack of advanced chemical solution availability.
Today, there is a greater awareness of the health risks associated with chemical fungicides. Consumers do not want to eat fresh produce that brings with it chemical residues that are known to be carcinogenic or could otherwise negatively impact their general health. This has caused global demand for change, driving fresh produce stakeholders to identify alternative and safe inhibition treatments for fresh produce mold decay that leave minimum or no residue levels.
Addressing this challenge is at the very core of BioLeaf product development. Our solution is a state-of-the-art technology that utilizes the natural fungicidal & bactericidal properties of volatile essential oils. The proprietary microencapsulation technology controls the speed and quantity of active ingredient release protects it from UV radiation exposure to maximize long lasting shelf-life performance. Further, our ecological technology solution demonstrates better adhesive properties, it does not burn or otherwise blemish fresh produce. An effective alternative to commonly used chemical fungicides, our products are natural, safe to use, eco-friendly, sustainable, solvent-free, leave no residue or blemishes on fresh produce, and are FDA food-grade standard: GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe).
Sustainable
Our products use natural and ecologically friendly antimicrobials with no risks to humans, animals, and the environment; and they do not require special disposal. Further, when applied, our products maintain high fresh produce quality which maintains their commercial value, reduce losses during postharvest and supply chain and thus save wasted resources associated with lost fresh produce under non-treated conditions. The total result is a positive gain across the board for sustainability, the environment, protecting global food safety and your business’ profit margin.
Deterioration in fresh produce quality and waste impacts the environment, global food security and lost profitability. It puts pressure on fresh water and crop land resources to produce increasingly higher quantities of food to meet growing global demand. The loss of fresh produce is an important challenge that can be resolved by looking at how and when it occurs and developing scalable solutions that address the problems.
Fresh fruit and vegetables begin a process of quality decline called “postharvest decay.” A process primarily caused by the growth of fungal molds in fresh produce, it begins upon harvest and progresses throughout the supply chain, ending in our kitchens.
The supply chain consists of six stages:
- From harvest in the field to the packing facility
- Sanitation and handling procedures at the packing facility
- Short and long-term storage
- Distribution by air, sea or land freight
- Storage at wholesaler/retailer facilities
- At the consumer’s home
Mold decay becomes most evident from stages 3 to 6, resulting in annual, global fresh produce losses of millions of tons and US dollars.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, each year up to 60% of fresh produce harvested deteriorates in quality or is discarded during supply chain and from the fresh produce that makes it to the consumer, about 50% is thrown away due to spoiling. This means that less than 20% of fresh fruit and vegetables produced globally are consumed.
A food waste index published in 2021 by the UN Environment Program estimates the total amount of fresh produce waste from households, retail establishments and the food service industry are 931 million tons annually. Nearly 570 million tons of this waste, over 60% is reported to occur at the household level. This constitutes a global average of 74 kg per capita of fresh produce wasted each year.
When fresh produce is lost, so are the resources used to produce them. According to a paper written by the “Science of the Total Environment”, published on Science Direct, annual global crop losses account for a waste of 24% of total freshwater used in food production (27 m3/cap/yr) and 23% of total global cropland area (31 × 10− 3 ha/cap/yr). The study finds that approximately half of global crop losses can be prevented during supply chain which would feed an additional one billion people each year. Although the scope of the global study includes all crops grown which includes fresh produce, the relative environmental impact of wasted resources in fresh produce production albeit less, still gives an indication of the enormity of the situation.
BioLeaf’s natural based, essential oil and botanical products effectively inhibit the development of mold, bacteria and sprout growth in fresh produce that deteriorate fresh produce quality. Safe and eco-friendly, our products are sustainable means for extending shelf life while maintaining high fresh produce quality during the supply chain.
Sources:
https://www.fao.org/platform-food-loss-waste/flw-data/en/
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/35280/FoodWaste.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969712011862
Convenient
Our product development strategy is to design customized, highly effective, ecological and easily applied shelf life extending solutions. Even in the absence of good postharvest and cold supply chain protocols, our products provide controlled, slow release of antifungal and antimicrobial effects for long-lasting inhibition of decay-causing molds in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Priced to be accessible to a wide range of businesses with postharvest needs, we engineer safe and practical products that minimize fresh produce loss and support business growth.
- Practical
- Cost effective application
- Affordable
- Simple to use
- Non-carcinogenic
- chemical-free
- GRAS FDA recognition
The application flexibility of our microencapsulating technology allows BioLeaf to deliver practical and cost-effective shelf-life extension solutions that fit seamlessly within our customers’ postharvest and storage requirements.
Listening to our customers’ needs, our products can be produced in powder, granular, liquid and gel formats and designed for numerous application methods including sachet, dipping, spraying, powder/ granular spreading, etc. This level of customization and optimization can be adjusted to suit specific fresh and highly perishable produce items in varying storing and transportation scenarios.
Our Technology
BioLeaf’s proprietary microencapsulation technology controls the release of volatile essential oils, protecting the quality of organic and conventional fresh produce.
BioLeaf Advantages:
- Slow, long-lasting release of highly volatile actives
- Minimal amount of active substance used
- No damage to fresh produce from contact with actives (phytotoxicity)
- Stabilizes sensitive actives (such as UV protection)
- Full control of release profile, practical size, and mode of application
Long-lasting
BioLeaf solutions can be engineered to deliver controlled release for the duration of time you need. Depending on the crop, requirements, and the BioLeaf product formulation, effective shelf-life extension of fresh produce can vary from over several days to 6 months.
Let’s Talk!
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Invest in BioLeaf and be part of the exciting future of postharvest solutions.
- Talk to us about strategic partnerships and product distribution in target markets.
- Speak to us about commercial development and R&D collaboration.
- Tell us about your fresh produce storage challenge, we can help.