LifeSpan Product Range April 2007 Use of this product or information is not guaranteed, and is for general guidance only. Users should conduct their own tests to determine suitability. Freedom from patent restrictions cannot be assumed
Fruit Apples - Royal Gala Carton liners for 12-14kg, and 20kg cartons of Royal Gala Apples stored below 3 C are available. The storage or seafreight time before the Royal Gala apples become unacceptably soft and/or begin to lose flavour is appreciably extended. The honey sweet flavour is retained for much longer than normal storage. The onset of waxiness is similarly retarded. The liners work equally well with many other varieties but should be tested in each case. Bananas Carton liners for 12kg and 18kg of bananas are available. Export use has eliminated the need for ethylene absorption in storage up to 6 weeks at 14 C. Fruit is kept fully green and firm for up to 6 weeks When ripening at 18 C the fruit ripens fully and evenly. Blueberries Carton liners for punnets of total weight 8kg being stored at 0-3 C, for at least 10 weeks, are available. Retention of moisture and firm texture. Retention of skin colour and bloom. Fruit flavour is preserved. Suppression of fungal growths.
Fruit (cont.) Cherries LifeSpan carton liners are being used successfully for 5kg-10kg cartons of cherries being sea-freighted or stored at 0-2 C. Shelf life is dependent on variety with long keeping varieties achieving up to 8 weeks. Liners are also available for the packing a full range of punnets or clamshells. Retention of green and flexible stems Retention of skin colour and gloss. Retention of firm texture with very little moisture loss. Retention of fresh taste. Negligible rots or fungal growths. LifeSpan is also available for 2kg packs. Nectarines LifeSpan carton liners for 5 12kg cartons of nectarines being sea-freighted at 0-3 C are available. The nectarines maintain their firmness, colour and maturity as packed. They fully ripen over 5-10 days after outturn, achieving optimum eating quality. Harvesting can be closer to full maturity than normal export fruit, resulting in improved colour and sugar levels. Sea freight exports to most distant markets are now possible. Many successful shipments have been conducted with many good keeping varieties of both white flesh and yellow flesh varieties. In each geographic location it is important to test each variety to ascertain its suitability to MAP.
Fruit (cont.) Pears - Packham LifeSpan carton liners for 13kg and 20kg cartons of Packham Pears removed from CA storage are available. The use of LifeSpan after CA storage can continue the benefits for an extended period, thus allowing seafreight of the pears. Other varieties can also benefit from the use of LifeSpan after CA but must be individually tested in each location. Up to 12 weeks after packing in LifeSpan and storage below 4 C, the pears remain green and hard. On outturn, they will fully colour and soften in 7-14 days. - Williams (WBC) / Bartlett The LifeSpan carton liner is available for William Pears stored below 4 C. After 3-5 months stored below 4 C storage the Williams Pears in LifeSpan remained green and hard. On outturn, they ripened normally over 6 days. LifeSpan has been successfully used on many other varieties of pears, including Buerre Bosc and Comice. Plums LifeSpan carton liners for 5-12 kg cartons of plums being stored at 0-2 C are available. A storage or seafreight time of up to 6-8 weeks depending on variety, is possible without loss of eating quality in the plums. Good quality Angeleno plums can be stored for up to 3 months. At outturn, the plums maintain firmness and taste as packed. LifeSpan is used commercially on a wide range of varieties, however there are differences in performance between varieties and users should conduct tests to determine suitability in each case.
Fruit (cont.) Sugar Plums (Prunes) LifeSpan carton liners for 10-13kg of Sugar Plum being sea-freighted or stored at 0-2 C for up to 35 days are available. Both D Agen and Moyer varieties are been successfully shipped Fruit retains its sweet flavour, good colour and firmness. Good quality fruit is able to be exported to all major Asian markets successfully by seafreight. Harvesting is at full maturity resulting in improved colour and sugar levels. Grapes LifeSpan carton liners can be used both for optimising both organic and conventional grape storage. LifeSpan products have been accepted as part of the organic certification process by growers and packers in many countries. Carton liners for 4-5kg and 9-10kg of white seedless, red seedless as well as seeded grapes are available. Storage at 0-2 C for 3-6 weeks for organic grapes and up to 8-10 weeks for conventional grapes are achievable. Results are dependent on the grape quality and variety. Trialling and careful monitoring is essential. Formats in 30x40cm and 60x40cm box footprints are available for 4-5kg packing weights. For 9-10kg packing weight 60x40cm box footprint are available. Designed to be able to be packed prior to cooling while minimising condensation related injuries. Suppression of Botrytis. Minimisation of Sulphur induced injury and taste improvement and can be achieved by reducing Sulphur dosage in conventional grapes. Maximisation of storage life for organic grapes. ]
Kiwi Fruit Carton liners for 10-20kg cartons of kiwi fruit being stored at 0-2 C for at least 4 months are available. Retention of fresh taste Retention of firm texture and light green flesh colour. Suppression of fungal growths. Persimmon / Caqui LifeSpan carton liners for 25lb (12Kg) of Fuyu persimmon being stored at 0 C to 2 C is available. Retention of skin colour and gloss. Retention of firm texture with no moisture loss. Negligible rots.
Vegetables Artichoke LifeSpan carton liners for artichokes being stored at 0-4 C for up to 40 days are available. Bracts remain tight and have minimal discolouration. Heart remains tender and fresh. Broccoli LifeSpan is being used for both domestic distribution and sea freight export of Broccoli. Individual carton liners for each size of Broccoli carton are available. No ice needed (no rots or deterioration due to melting ice). Heads stay dark green longer after unpacking. Potential to reduce packaging and transport costs. For seafreight export at 0-3 C, shelf life of 40 days can be achieved. For Ice Free domestic distribution through the supermarket system, a liner to perform at up to 8 C with a shelf life of 14 days is being used. Brussels Sprouts LifeSpan carton liners for 5kg -10kg cartons of Brussels Sprouts being sea-freighted at 0-2 C for up to 55 days are available. no yellowing or winging of the outer leaves the Sprouts remain tender and moist.
Vegetables (cont.) Cauliflower Carton liners for 18kg-20kg cartons of cauliflower being sea-freighted at 0-3 C for up to 40 days are available. No loss of moisture or product weight. No discolouration of curd and no growth of rots. A domestic LifeSpan liner for use at 0-8 C is available. Celery Carton liners for 20-25kg cartons of celery being sea-freighted at 0-3 C with a shelf life of at least 40 days are available. Celery remains crisp with no moisture loss. Bunch remains tight. fresh aroma maintained. No chalking of stems. Tip leaves remain green. Leeks LifeSpan carton liners for 5-15kg cartons of leeks being sea-freighted at 0-3 C for up to 55 days are available. The leeks show no yellowing of leaves and no discolouration of stems. Regrowth is limited to about 1cm and roots remain fresh and white. There is no rotting or ageing of leaves.
Vegetables (cont.) Parsnips LifeSpan carton liners for cartons from 8-18kg of parsnips being sea-freighted at 0-3 C for up to 55 days are available. The parsnips show no discolouration beyond that at time of packing. The parsnips are tender and retain their moisture content. Sweet Corn LifeSpan carton liners for sweet corn being sea-freighted at 0-4 C for up to 35 days are available. Maintain sweetness. Eliminate moisture loss and dimpling of kernels. Wrapper leaves remain in good condition. A domestic liner for use at 0-8 C for Supermarket domestic distribution is available. Lettuce LifeSpan carton liners for 12 heads of Iceberg Lettuce sea-freighted for up to 5 weeks at 2 C -4 C are available. The cartons require gas flushing to achieve the stated performance, but maintain as packed quality at outturn. Only the coarse outer leaves need to be stripped and the butt trimmed to have excellent retail display quality with no increase in wastage.
Vegetables (cont.) Broccoli & Cauliflower Florets LifeSpan carton liners for 5kg -15kg cartons of broccoli florets are available. A storage life of 14 days at 0-4 C is achieved. At outturn, the broccoli florets are fresh, have no discolouration of cut surfaces and have no rots. This packaging is of particular benefit to the food service and catering industries. The system can also be used as a master pack, with a number of smaller food service or retail packs held inside the LifeSpan carton liner. Please seek advice from LifeSpan on suitable retail packaging materials. Note: All the above commercially available applications are designed to allow the fresh produce to undergo a normal marketing period after unpacking from the LifeSpan carton liners upon removal from the cool chain. Product Formats We are developing LifeSpan MAP technology continuously. We have the original LifeSpan carton liners sealed with specifically designed clips as well as vacuum packed heat sealed versions called SunVac TM for some applications. One of our exciting new developments is TearFlex TM. TearFlex TM is a carton liner format which provides all the LifeSpan MAP benefits as well as a means of tearing the bag in a straight line. It can be easily torn at a predetermined height flush with the top of the carton. The carton can be neatly presented on a supermarket shelf without having to repack or fold the excess liner over each box. Some receiver and repacking operations can also benefit. In many cases substantial labour savings and supermarket presentation benefits can be achieved. TearFlex TM is being selectively rolled out with interested stakeholders globally, but is not available for grape products. LifeSpan has also developed pallet shroud products. These provide a means of covering an entire pallet of fresh produce in a single Modified Atmosphere Package (MAP). Many logistical and labour saving advantages have been gained by some packers, receivers and supermarkets. Pallet shrouds are not available for grape products although this is under development. Development Program LifeSpan MAP technology is extremely flexible and new applications are under continual development. Enquires are welcomed for fruit and vegetable applications not covered in this product list. For further information, please contact: Lifespan@amcor.com.au Tel: +61 3 9556 7666 Fax: +61 3 9532 5385
Important points when using LifeSpan Modified Atmosphere Packaging Post Harvest * Only quality export standard produce should be used. * Field heat must be removed quickly and produce treated with industry recommended fungicides, etc. Packing * Produce must be kept cool up to time of packing. * Produce must be returned to refrigeration as soon as possible after packing. * The LifeSpan liners must be sealed in accordance to the packing instruction sheet. * There must be no holes, rips, or tears in the liners. Cold Chain * The cold chain must be maintained following the temperature instructions on the liners. Important * When removing product from refrigeration for sales if it is not intended to be put back into a Cool-room quickly, the liner must be opened to avoid condensation. Product is intended for storage at temperatures stated on the bag. Higher temperatures can result in product spoilage.
CONTACT DETAILS Being part of the Amcor worldwide family of packaging companies, LifeSpan was developed in Melbourne Australia. Any inquiries may be directed to our Head Office as follows: INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER: DAVID HICKMAN Tel (613) 9556 7676 david.hickman@amcor.com.au TECHNICAL MANAGER: Address: CHRIS KING Tel (613) 9556 7647 chris.king@amcor.com.au 15 Keys Road Moorabbin, Vic. 3189 Australia Postal: Private Bag 1049 Moorabbin, Vic. 3189 Australia GENERAL: Lifespan@amcor.com.au Tel +61 3 9556 7666 Fax +61 3 9532 5385