Freshness and quality you can taste. Apples from Europe in your distribution.
Apples produced in Europe are not only one of the most well-known and appreciated fruits in the world, but also a symbol of freshness, quality and a healthy lifestyle. In today’s world, when consumers are increasingly aware of food choices, the freshness and quality of products play a key role in their purchasing decisions. By investing in apples from Europe, you can guarantee consumers premium products and create a unique offer. In an era of growing competition, focusing on quality and originality brings long-term benefits.
Why apples from Europe?
European apples are appreciated all over the world for their high quality and exceptional taste. Apples grown in Europe, especially in a temperate climate, are characterized by juiciness, freshness and a diversity of varieties. The freshness of apples is one of the most important criteria for their evaluation. Fruits picked at the right time, in optimal conditions, both at the cultivation and transport stages, retain their crunchiness and juiciness. Apples from Europe, especially from countries such as Poland, the Netherlands or Italy, are picked by hand, which allows for the selection of only the best fruit. The quality of apples from Europe is not only about their freshness. Many European farms use sustainable production methods, take care of the protection of the natural environment, which contributes to the positive reception of their products on international markets. It is also worth noting that the excellent climatic conditions prevailing in Europe enable the production of beautifully coloured fruit, characterized by an intense aroma, firmness and juiciness. All this makes them unique and unrivalled in terms of quality.
Fruit storage technologies in Europe
Fruit growers in Europe are at the forefront of high production standards and also use modern fruit storage methods. Modern storage technologies make it possible to keep the harvested fruit fresh for many months. Fruit in Europe is stored using three main technologies, which differ in terms of the composition of the atmosphere inside the chambers. These technologies include:
- Normal atmosphere storage technology – NA (so-called ordinary cold store) with the composition: 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen + the rest of the gases (less than 0.1% carbon dioxide).
- Modified atmosphere (MA) storage technology with a gas composition of: 16% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide + the rest nitrogen.
- Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage technology:
– standard CA with a composition of 5% carbon dioxide, 3% oxygen + the rest nitrogen,
– low-oxygen (often called ULO) with a composition of about 1.0% to 1.5% oxygen, about 1.5% carbon dioxide + the rest nitrogen,
– extremely low-oxygen (including dynamically controlled atmosphere – DCA) with a composition of about 0.6 to 1.0% oxygen, about 1.0% carbon dioxide + the rest nitrogen.
Thanks to refrigeration technology, apples can be transported over long distances, maintaining their quality and freshness.
Transport
Apples are mainly transported to Egypt or Jordan by sea and land, in accordance with standards that aim to maintain their freshness and quality. Thanks to modern refrigeration technologies, this is done at a controlled temperature, which minimizes the risk of damage and loss of nutritional value. The transport of apples to Egypt, as well as to other countries, requires meeting certain conditions, which include both logistics and sanitary and epidemiological regulations. EU member states are obliged to conduct controls on fresh fruit and vegetables at all stages of trade, including export to third countries. In Poland, ten detailed trade standards apply to selected varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables. Apples are subject to the requirements of a detailed trade standard, which specifies product definition, quality regulations, minimum requirements, maturity requirements, classification, regulations on size, tolerance, presentation and labelling. When transporting fruit to third countries, appropriate documentation is also important, including commercial invoices, bills of lading and certificates required by the customs office and sanitary agency in Egypt.
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