Biofresh Safestore, the UK distributor of StoreGuard, is preparing for its first full season.
Manufactured by AgroFresh, the product uses 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) to counter the change in fry colour, which can occasionally happen when ethylene is used as a sprout inhibitor.
Priced at a cost per tonne, StoreGuard is applied early in the storage process, before ethylene. Soluble tablets are introduced to an activator solution in pouches placed in the store.
Personnel access is allowed just 24 hours after the treatment.
As well as maintaining the fry colour, StoreGuard can reportedly also protect against the shock of ethylene treatment.
Jeremy Barraclough of Biofresh Safestore says: “Combining SafeGuard with the ethylene-based Safestore system is a highly effective way of both suppressing sprouting and countering the effects on fry colour that some varieties can experience when treated with ethylene.
“With both SafeGuard and SafeStore, there is no detectable residue on the potatoes, and the data from the commercial trials conducted under an experimental licence in Europe show the benefits of applying 1-MCP.”
Simon Faulkner, an independent agronomist and director of SDF Agriculture, has been involved in the commercial trials of the product. He says:
“StoreGuard has been shown to protect some processing potato varieties against the potential negative effects that ethylene can have on fry-colours,” he said. “Applied before ethylene treatment commences, the benefits of StoreGuard typically last through to April.
“Combined with the careful introduction of ethylene and managing carbon dioxide levels, StoreGuard can help to maintain processing potato quality during storage.”
For more information go to www.biofreshsafestore.com