In conjunction with industry, TIA had been developing practical solutions for long term consistency in cherry yield and quality. In 2011/2012, 12 000 tonnes were harvested nationwide, with 1 207 tonnes of that exported at a value of A$15.6 million1. Still growers continue to seek ways to improve their processes and to remain proactive when looking for future value-adding potential. Of course, some of the greatest challenges to industry are rain damage, brown rot and the limited season for fresh fruit. Inconsistent quality has been identified in the CGA strategic plan as a cause for poor sales and disappointing grower return2. Notwithstanding the increases in yield of premium fruit achieved with optimisation of horticultural practices, not all fruit are going the make the grade. Many farmers have looked to value-add to the cherries that don’t suit the fresh fruit market. The University of Tasmania has been working with Fosters, Pty. Ltd on a project which may have application to the cherry industry. The need to be innovative and produce value-added products has long been recognised by the Fosters group who installed a Spinning Cone Column (SCC) into their fruit juice processing line at the Hobart factory in Tasmania. The SCC is an Australian technology that has been developed by Flavourtech Technologies (with a pilot-scale SCC plant in Griffith) which uses a steam based stripping process to enable the production of low volume, high concentration flavours. With the support of HAL, a team comprising researchers from the Perennial Horticulture Centre at TIA, Industry Partners (the Cascade label under the auspices of Fosters, Pty Ltd), marketing companies (MacTavish-West & Agrimark) and applied technology professionals (Flavourtech ) have developed new favour products from blackcurrant and raspberry. Schematics of a Spinning Cone Column (provided by Flavourtech) Over the previous two years the collaborative effort has resulted in the production of raspberry and blackcurrant flavours to rival those produced by international companies such as Treatt and Dohler. With prices ranging from $10 per litre to as high as $200 per litre for premium quality extracts and with a projected 5% yield per tonne of mash, there is potential for a significant financial return from reject fruit. Unlike fresh fruit, the SCC product is stable for long term storage. In addition extracted fruit mash can continue down the processing line to make cherry juices and purees. The aroma compounds recovered by SCC do not detract from the taste and flavour of down-stream products as most of these impact volatiles are generally lost in the concentration and pasteurisation processes. The project followed the production and loss of volatiles through the fruit juice and SCC processing line. It was found that high cooking temperatures resulted in the loss of volatiles and the de-activation of enzymes that had been added to break down pectin. Condenser temperature, the rate of steam input (stripping rate) and the chemistry behind the production of aroma chemicals were among the parameters investigated. Not confined to production aspects, MacTavish-West introduced the final product to major flavour houses in Europe. The raspberry product in particular had the desired characteristics and requests for price and availability ensued. Blackcurrants being loaded into a hopper & the top of the SCC unit at Cascade Comparison of raspberry aroma product produced using the standard enzyme, Novozyme, compared to an enzyme with aroma-release functionality. A panel assessing the aroma impact of raspberry extract. When considering that on average, half of the crop does not make premium grade, it makes good sense for growers not to base their economic projections solely on high yields of premium grade fruit. In an unpredictable environment made more so by climate change, there needs to be a rethink of product and marketing strategies. It’s not so much about utilising a waste product! It’s about making a return from the fruit that has taken as much effort and resources to grow as those sold at a premium. 1Fresh Intelligence Consulting 2CGA News Letter, June 2012

Item Type:	Magazine Article
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Horticultural production
Research Field:	Post harvest horticultural technologies (incl. transportation and storage)
Objective Division:	Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Group:	Horticultural crops
Objective Field:	Berry fruit (excl. kiwifruit)
UTAS Author:	Garland, SM (Dr Sandra Garland)
ID Code:	79773
Year Published:	2012
Deposited By:	Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture
Deposited On:	2012-10-02
Last Modified:	2014-04-11
Downloads:	0