Lower residues on apples with special washing machine

It has been quite a few years since organisations such as Milieudefensie and Greenpeace demanded attention for residues of pesticides. They organised actions at supermarkets to show that many products were containing pesticides residues. These actions led supermarkets to lay down criteria that exceeded legal provisions. They wish to work towards products without any residue of crop protection products.

Storage until March

Fruit growers find it difficult to supply residue-free apples or pears. The products detected on the fruit are intended to prevent fruit rot. It is possible to produce fruit with low residues but such fruit can only be stored until about February or March. After that, fruit rot hits in the warehouses. Fruit growers are not paid for this extra risk.

This is why the researchers of PPO chose a different approach. They developed a prototype of a machine to remove the residues from the apples or pears. The fruit is then protected against fruit rot until it is transported to the supermarket.

This machine can be incorporated into the grading line. This means that the grower does not need to spend much extra time when fruit is to be delivered.