{"id":335095,"date":"2017-03-07T04:21:48","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T20:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1460661"},"modified":"2017-03-07T04:21:48","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T20:21:48","slug":"how-hazel-technologies-keeps-fresh-fruit-and-vegetables-from-spoiling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/how-hazel-technologies-keeps-fresh-fruit-and-vegetables-from-spoiling\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hazel Technologies keeps fresh fruit and vegetables from spoiling"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Chicago-based Hazel Technologies<\/a> is on a mission to reduce food waste. The company has developed packaging inserts that, through the magic of basic chemistry, can ward off fungus, mold and slow the spoilage of fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n

How big a problem is food waste? The most recent available reports\u00a0from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that each year we waste more than 25 billion pounds of post-harvest fruits and vegetables domestically, worth some $30 billion in value. That number is staggering and even more depressing when you consider the 42.2 million\u00a0people, including 6.4 million children, living without enough to eat<\/a> in the US.<\/p>\n

According to Hazel Technology\u2019s CEO Aidan Mouat, the company\u2019s BerryBrite and FruitBrite products were developed with farmers and food waste top of mind. They\u00a0take the form of pads that fit into fruit containers, or sachets about the size of a sugar packet that can be tossed in alongside packed produce. The inserts actively emit ingredients including, respectively, ethylene inhibitors and anti-fungal agents.<\/p>\n

Ethylene is a natural plant-ripening hormone. Inhibiting its production keeps produce looking and tasting better for a couple of weeks versus a couple of days.\u00a0The active ingredient in Hazel Technologies\u2019 FruitBrites\u00a0packets is more specifically 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), which mimics the effects of ethylene but blocks ethylene receptors in produce. This molecule has been used to keep food and flowers fresh, commercially, in the past including by companies like AgroFresh and FloraLife.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0biodegradable and non-toxic packaging inserts allow farmers to extend the sale-ability of their fruits and vegetables without having to spray on\u00a0any chemical solutions, Mouat said. And besides reducing food waste, his startup aims to help farmers sell\u00a0into new markets. \u201cThe geographic range of produce distribution is limited by shelf-life. If I\u2019m a Florida grower of starfruit, it\u2019s hard to sell it in Vancouver. This technology\u00a0allows me to get it all the way\u00a0there\u00a0in shape where customers and consumers will want it,\u201d the CEO said.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Hazel Technologies raised $800,000 to ramp up manufacturing, while developing new products. Rhapsody Venture Partners<\/a> led the seed round joined by the VentureWell Foundation<\/a> and Valley Oak investments<\/a>. The company, which was started at Northwestern University, has also attained SBIR grant funding via the USDA, previously.<\/p>\n

Hazel Technologies\u2019 investor Niko Hrdy, with Valley Oak Investments, said one reason he backed the company was that its products work with farmers\u2019 and shippers\u2019 existing infrastructure. \u201cTheir solutions are low cost with substantial, easy-to-measure benefits,\u201d Hrdy said. \u201cMany shippers and growers are already looking for new ways to ship food further, enter new markets, extend the growing season, and have less food rejected at the retail level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the funding, he expects the company to add employees to its ranks, and begin working with a wider number of growers and shippers around the world, especially throughout the agriculture hubs of the Americas.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Ian Natanek<\/a>\/Hazel Technologies<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" Chicago-based Hazel Technologies is on a mission to reduce food waste. The company has developed packaging inserts that, through the magic of basic chemistry, can ward off fungus, mold and slow the spoilage of fruits and vegetables. How big a problem is food waste? The most recent available reports\u00a0from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have found that each year we waste more than 25… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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