New Soluna apple juice and fresh cut slices add value for growers

Consumers and growers will get more bang for their buck from Soluna apples - branded as Bravo in Australia with the launch of new value add products for the West Australian-bred fruit.

The products – a rosy, pink apple juice and fresh, long-life apple slices – will sold in independent supermarkets across Western Australia.

The Soluna Apple Juice was cold-pressed locally by experienced beverage processor Pressed Earth.

High-pressure processing was then used to extend the life of the juice to 90 days at the Government’s A$12.2mn state-of-the-art Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre in the Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia.

The trials of the long-life apple slices, which stay fresh for up to 21 days, are in the final stages at the SIFT Centre and are expected to be in store by the end of the year.

The new offerings stem from a pilot project between the Fruit West Co-operative, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Murdoch University, German machinery manufacturer Bruker BioSpin, and the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre.

The juice and long-life slices form part of a broader initiative that includes verifying the health benefits of Bravo apples.

This research will provide a competitive market advantage and diversify options for value-added apple products, backed by scientific evidence and proven product performance.

Fruit West is also exploring export opportunities for the Soluna juice and slices in Asia and the Middle East.

The initiative forms part of Fruit West’s strategy to capture new domestic and international markets for value-added apple products, boosting orchard sustainability and profitability.

The variety is now WA’s biggest apple export, contributing to Australian supplies set to exceed last year’s sales of more than 740 tonnes sold to Asia and the Middle East.

“These products are the result of an innovative research project, backed by the Cook Labor Government, and developed at the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre, a state-of-art facility we are proud is supporting our local food and beverage manufacturing sector,” said West Australian agriculture and food minister Jackie Jarvis.

“Value-added products create an additional avenue for our growers and improve the long-term value of the fruit, helping the industry to grow and diversify.”

Sean Engelbrecht, commercialisation manager at WA Farm Direct, said the new juice had been able to capture the flavour of the apple.

“Soluna is more than just apple juice – it’s a celebration of Australian innovation and the pure, vibrant flavour of our ANABP 01 apples,” said Sean Engelbrecht, commercialisation manager of WA Farm Direct.

“We’ve combined natural quality with modern technology to deliver an apple juice experience unlike any other.”