South Africa's unnecessarily strict regulations lumping heavy-duty fungicides together with products that are considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration are stifling innovation, says Ziv Ben-Ami, director of Auryon. It's the reason why, he says, the young company has been quick to establish itself in Peru and Colombia, and other jurisdictions that recognize such differences between categories.
"We manufacture Aurora, which is a mixture of natural extracts with relatively low pH, which can then be combined with an oxidizer (for example, hydrogen peroxide) at the clients' sites, and that makes our treatment called Ambient," adds colleague Khalida Khan. Ambient can be sprayed onto growing crops, she explains, or employed on the packline. "Oryx is our surface general sanitizer to sanitize packhouses, cold rooms, trays, and pallets."
Wherever growers experience fungal problems on their crops, whether flowers in Kenya or papaya in Ethiopia, Auryon Industries proposes that the naturally occurring extracts in their products, through a two-step activation process, trigger a highly effective reaction to eliminate food-borne pathogens – while leaving zero residues.
The product is undergoing trials by Citrus Research International and is registered in Peru, Colombia, and New Zealand. "Registration with the South African Department of Agriculture is taking some time," remarks Ben-Ami, "but efforts are underway."
Trials in avocado, mango, bananas, litchis, and various other fruit comparing Ambient to conventional postharvest treatments have slowed down deterioration and were able to replace the current chemicals, according to their data. "Chilling-related injuries and other defects were also reduced."
© Auryon Industries
Alternative to controversial fungicides
In other trials, run in South Africa, it was found that after four weeks in cold storage, fruit treated with Ambient was in a similar condition to those treated with Prochloraz and others treated with Fludioxonil, but without any of the residue levels. It is worth noting, Khan says, that Prochloraz has since been banned in the EU, while Fludioxonil is under pressure and may be deregistered next year.
© Auryon Industries
In a trial on bell peppers at a Mpumalanga packhouse, she says, the sample treated with Ambient showed zero incidence of any mould or decay after two weeks, as compared to an ammonium chloride-treated sample in a state of disintegration.
Down in the Western Cape, their trial results show that Ambient has resulted in a 40% reduction of postharvest decay on pears.
Khan observes that another benefit is that Aurora doesn't break down quickly in the treatment bath water at the client's packline, so more tonnage can be put through per application, compared to traditional fungicides. "This allows for total water consumption reduction as more fruit can be put through, without the risk of cross-contamination through the water on the one hand, or residue buildup on the other hand."
For more information:
Khalida Khan
Auryon Industries
Tel: +27 10 502 1770
Email: [email protected]
https://auryon.co.za/