Softripe is a Brazilian-German innovation and stands for a novel ripening technology for tropical fruits. This allows a significant improvement in the respective fruit quality compared to conventional methods.
Bananas and other tropical fruits, such as mangos and avocados, are among the fruits that can be harvested in an unripe state and still develop to ripeness. This feature is used to bridge long transport routes by ship from producer countries to consumer countries without spoiling the fruits.
During transportation by ship, the goods have to be cooled. This suppresses unwanted premature ripening of the fruit. Once they have arrived in the destination country, the fruits are transported from the port to the individual, regional fruit trade distribution centres. This is done using refrigerated trucks
There, the fruits are matured on a specific delivery day in special ripening rooms. They are matured in a targeted manner. Continuous temperature programmes (heating and cooling) and temporary stimulation with ethylene, the natural fruit, gas stimulate a natural ripening process.
This can take up to 7 days.
The newly patented Softripe technology significantly improves fruit characteristics that are important for the consumer e.g. taste (typical aromas), shelf life and uniform maturity. Because the ripening process is faster and more controlled, energy is saved significantly.
Softripe wants to convince less with words, but rather with personal consumer experiences.
Intelligent and complex software controls the ripening process in order to ripen the fruit in a way that is completely controlled and stress-free. All natural gases found in air and respiratory gases (e.g. oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide) and ethylene, the fruit gas, are permanently controlled and optimally adjusted for the fruit to be ripened.
The first Softripe ripening plants were put into operation in Brazil and from 2018, the first larger plants for bananas opened in Germany. The ripening plants are operated by service providers in the fruit trade which, in turn, supply food retailers.
We have been soliciting Softripe among fruit traders and retailers since 2018 and in 2019 we won the Silver Innovation Award. The fruit trade shows interest in our new Softripe technology.
Based on our previous practical experience and feedback, we are convinced that in the future, this ripening quality will become the standard across the worldwide.
As a consumer, you have an influence as to whether and how quickly Softripe-ripened goods are offered in your supermarket.
Just ask in your supermarket!
