Exotic and stone fruit are set to be the next big areas of growth when it comes to prepared produce, according to fruit preservation specialists Agricoat.
The company produces NatureSeal, a vitamin and mineral preservative which extends the shelf life of fresh cut fruits.
Simon Matthews, general manager, said: “There’s definitely a growing interest now in prepared exotic fruits.”
He said NatureSeal was initially developed for use on sliced apples, a product which has become mainstream. Work is now underway on other products, with hopes of replicating that success.
“With products like exotic fruits, if it’s in an easy and convenient form it’s less intimidating for the consumer than in its whole form.”
The formulation of NatureSeal’s vitamins and minerals varies from product-to-product, Matthews said, and added that they were also working on formulations not just for exotic ranges, but also stone fruit.
And its not just fruit, he added: “We’ve had some good successes with carrots, stopping the product from whitening, and with carrots becoming more popular as prepared snack products, there’s value in that.”
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