Page 28 - Food and Drink Business Magazine May 2019

FRESH & CHILLED
Fertile opportunities
Scientific advances, new technology, and shifting consumer tastes are leading to unprecedented innnovation in the fruit aisle. Here’s a taste of some of the latest trends and developments.
Fruit packer, distributor and exporter Montague introduced the fruit in 2006. Now, more than 600,000 trees in 29 licensed orchards produce fruit. The season begins mid-April.
Montague says the apple is packed with fibre, vitamins B and C, potassium, and is low GI.
Montague activities include fruit production and packing, food sales and marketing and the provision of storage and logistics services.
A NATIVE FOCUS
After huge interest in Australian native ingredients in the 1980s and ’90s, which was not sustained, interest in bush foods is back on the rise.
Quandong, a traditional staple for Aboriginal people for thousands of years, was used in a small commercial run of Christmas puddings last year.
Communities in Arnhem Land have, for the first time, harvested red bush apples to sell on a commercial scale.
Some drought-affected farmers are experimenting with more weather-resistant native crops with some regions, like the Northern Rivers of NSW making real headway in bush food crops.
LIME FRESH
Science and technology is helping to bringing new fresh offerings to fruition. CSIRO has developed new Australian lime varieties including Australian Blood, Australian Sunrise and Australian Outback Limes as niche fruits for food and beverage uses.
There is also a new dwarf grapevine, ‘microvine’, that will have year-round grape production capability.
MANGO MOMENTUM
After 10 years of producing commercial volumes, Piñata Farms says the latest Honey Gold mango season has been the best yet. There are around 30 contracted growers in Australia.
Honey Gold mangoes are ripened by LaManna Premier Group’s (LPG) nationally.
FRUIT SUPERHEROS
Feijoa, is a little green vitamin C packed fruit is native to Brazil and has also been grown in New Zealand for many years.
It is now produced in a small commercial capacity on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast that is available at some gourmet supermarkets and fruit stores around Australia.
Packing a punch in the it nutrition rating, feijoas have a high fibre count that’s rich in vitamin C with folic acid as well as potassium, magnesium and other vitamins and minerals. ✷
✷ BEYOND SUGAR FRUITFUL OPTIONS
The sugar backlash is opening up new opportunities for fruit producers.
Australian soft drink company Naked Life uses the Asian monk fruit in its no-sugar drinks as well as erythritol derived from fermenting various fruits including melons.
According to research organisation, Future Market Insight, the use of fresh figs in food processing is a growing application in the foodservice industry due to their high nutritional composition and natural sweetness.
Growers and retailers wanting to capture more opportunities are also looking at boosting the variety of fresh fruits that
appeal to Asian-born consumers such as
lychees and mangoes. Predictions are that the market can expect to see steady growth in demand
grow for fruit and vegetable categories that appeal to ethnic households such as winter melon, bitter melon, and tropical fruits.
TROPICAL TREATS
One of Australia’s largest banana producers is introducing a new red papaya brand. Ruby Rise Red Papaya is owned by MacKay’s Farming Group, which has been growing the fruit in Far North Queensland for more than 10 years.
MacKay’s managing director Barrie MacKay says people are missing out on the ‘supergoodness’ of red papaya because they don’t know it exists, what it tastes like orhowtouseit.Oneofthe biggest barriers is confusion with pawpaw, which has a completely different flavour, he says.
PLUM OPPORTUNITY
Last year, the superfruit Queen Garnet plums hit the Western Australian market for the first time commercially. Marketed as super rich in antioxidants, the juicy dark-fleshed plums are said to contain unique levels of anthocyanins, a compound well known for its antioxidant properties and other health benefits.
SUCCESSFUL APPLE HAUL
Five million kilos of Jazz apples have been produced this season despite drought conditions in many growing districts.
28 | Food&Drink business | May 2019 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au