Rijk Zwaan has announced that it is introducing a trait in its lettuce varieties that ensures the leaves discolour less rapidly after cutting.
The vegetable breeding company has nick-named the trait ‘Knox’, and is today presenting the innovation during its Lettuce and Leafy Vegetable Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
Knox extends shelf-life by about two days, Rijk Zwan says, and according to convenience manager Bauke van Lenteren, the company has directly responded to one of the main wishes of fresh cut companies with the development.
“Knox ensures you do not necessarily need low-oxygen packaging for lettuce; this allows for lower costs and more options when blending,' she explains. 'This means getting rid of the negative smell that is characteristic of opening low-oxygen packaging.”
Knox is also beneficial for the rest of the chain - for example, the extended shelf life gives retailers a better stock position and less waste. “It is self-evident that these benefits will also lead to a better end consumer experience. The consumer can enjoy the bag of pre-packaged salad for a longer time”, says Van Lenteren. “We expect Knox to lead to higher purchasing frequency, and therefore increased consumption of lettuce.”
Rijk Zwaan has worked on the development of Knox for a total of ten years. The group developed an assessment test in-house in order to determine the presence of the trait, and then found it in a breeding greenhouse. The unique effect was confirmed in various laboratory tests and large scale factory trials. The property was subsequently crossed into various lettuce types as soon as possible.
With its partners, Rijk Zwaan will be thinking on how to use the trait: “We want to make optimal use of Knox and the knowledge that we accumulated in the past few years,' she continues. 'We will inform our partners accordingly as adequately as possible.
“We are very proud of this introduction”, adds Van Lenteren. “Not just due to the major benefits that Knox offers to the entire leafy vegetable chain right down to the consumer. Also due to the way in which we were able to achieve this break-through together with our colleagues and partners.”
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