StePacPCC, a company specialising in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for fresh produce, has introduced a new packaging film designed specifically for pitaya, commonly known as dragon fruit.

The packaging aims to maintain the quality and appearance of the fruit during shipping from Ecuador to markets in the US and Europe.

Pitaya is valued for its nutritional content but is prone to moisture loss, high respiration rates and microbial decay during shipping, a process that can take three weeks or more by sea.

StePacPCC has adjusted its Xtend MA/MH bulk packaging films to the requirements of pitaya, focusing on balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations while controlling moisture levels.

This approach is intended to reduce dehydration and decay, as well as slow down the deterioration process.

The company’s solution seeks to retain the characteristic colour and “firmness” of pitaya, including the bracts, which are often used as an indicator of freshness but tend to wilt if dehydrated.

The development phase for this packaging lasted over three years and involved cooperation with exporters and adjustments to postharvest handling routines.

This new packaging joins StePacPCC’s range of solutions already in use for other tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and lychees.

StePacPPC CTO Gary Ward said: "South American pitaya growers often struggle to reach distant markets with this high-demand delicacy.

"Even under optimal cold chain conditions, the long sea freight from Ecuador to North America and Europe takes its toll on the delicate fruit, resulting in weight loss, shrivelling of the skin and the bracts, a dulling of the characteristic brightly coloured peel, accompanied on occasion by microbial decay. These factors reduce the fruit's appeal and marketability by the time it arrives at its destination. Most importantly, they negatively impact quality and freshness."