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Why
your fruit doesn't taste sweet
like it used to!!
 Artificially
ripened fruit is often picked
unripe from the tree and ripened
with ethylene gas before it
is delivered to your store.
Sometimes these fruits have
not developed enough natural
sugars before being picked so
when ripened they can have low
natural sweetness and mealy
flesh.
Tree
or vine ripened fruit is often
sweeter than artificially ripened
fruit as it has had time to
develop a higher natural sugar
content before being picked.
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What is Ethylene Gas?
Ethylene is a natural hormone in all fruit
and vegetables. It is responsible for the
ripening and ageing process. Fruit and Vegetables
produce ethylene as they ripen and they
release it as a gas. The problem is that
this ethylene gas builds up in your crisper
bin and causes accelerated ripening and
ageing of any produce in the area. In order
to extend the fresh storage life of produce
you need to remove this ethylene gas from
the storage environment.
How does KeepFresh work?
KeepFresh removes ethylene gas, eliminating
it from your crisper bin and thereby stopping
any harmful impact that the ethylene gas
can have on your fresh produce in storage.
Is KeepFresh easy to use?
KeepFresh is simple, safe and convenient
to use. Just place your KeepFresh cartridge
in your crisper bin and your produce will
stay fresh and full of life until you are
ready to eat it.
Do I open the sachet inside my KeepFresh
cartridge?
NO. There is no need to open the KeepFresh
sachet that is inside your. KeepFresh is
designed to work effectively with the special
KeepFresh Power Pellets permanently enclosed
in the sachet. The sachet is made from a
special material that allows for vapours
to move freely through, yet it will protect
the KeepFresh Power Pellets from excessive
moisture damage.
How long does KeepFresh last?
KeepFresh will last for about 3 months (12
weeks) in your refrigerator crisper bin.
At the end of 12 weeks you can simply replace
the sachet inside your KeepFresh cartridge
with a refill sachet. Simply place the new
sachet inside your cartridge (do not open
the sachet) and return your KeepFresh cartridge
to your crisper bin for another 3 months
protection against harmful ethylene gas.
It is safe to discard your old sachet with
the normal rubbish.
How long will KeepFresh last if I do not
open it?
An unopened KeepFresh cartridge package
or refill package has an indefinite shelf
life until it is removed from its protective
packaging. The packaging of KeepFresh cartridges
and refill sachets is designed to protect
the product against ethylene gas in the
environment and so will not deteriorate
unless the packaging is damaged or opened.
Do I need a KeepFresh cartridge for each
bin?
Yes. We recommend using a KeepFresh cartridge
for each crisper bin if you have 2 crisper
bins.
Will KeepFresh work on the refrigerator
shelf?
Yes, however it is a much larger space that
a crisper bin and KeepFresh may not work
as effectively as it will in the confined
environment of a crisper bin. Some larger
produce items (eg: melons) are often stored
on the shelves. Placing a KeepFresh cartridge
beside these items on your refrigerator
shelf will help this produce to stay fresh
for longer.
Will KeepFresh absorb odors?
KeepFresh is primarily designed to remove
ethylene gas however the special KeepFresh
Power Pellets also have odour absorbing
abilities and will help to reduce any odour
in your refrigerator.
Does KeepFresh keep Meat and milk products
fresh also?
No. KeepFresh is designed to control ethylene
gas. Ethylene is a ripening agent that is
only produced by plants. Animal products
do not produce ethylene and are not affected
by it so KeepFresh will have no impact on
your meat or milk products.
How long will my fruits and vegetables stay
fresh with KeepFresh?
KeepFresh can keep your produce fresh for
up to 6 weeks longer in your refrigerator
however it is important to understand that
each variety of fruit or vegetable has its
own storage life in the refrigerator which
impacts the duration that you can store
each product. For example, you can expect
to get an additional 7-10 days for an iceberg
lettuce, whilst with a tomato you can expect
to get an additional 2-4 weeks of fresh
storage life. It is all a function of their
own perishability and how sensitive they
are to ethylene damage. If a fruit or vegetable
grows a fuzzy mould or becomes mushy in
one spot, the decay is probably due to mould
or bacteria rather than ethylene damage.
It's important to be sure that temperature,
humidity and ethylene are controlled in
the refrigerator to receive the maximum
benefits of KeepFresh.
Will KeepFresh work in my fruit bowl?
Placing KeepFresh in a fruit bowl that's
on a counter will provide some benefit however
the benefit is not as substantial as it
is in your crisper bin. This is because,
unlike the confined space of the refrigerator,
the volume of air circulating around a fruit
bowl is too large for KeepFresh to efficiently
control the ethylene. Placing KeepFresh
in a covered potato or onion bin will help
to prevent sprouting in the potatoes and
onions.
Does KeepFresh work on all fresh produce
products?
All fruit, vegetables and herbs will benefit
from KeepFresh in their storage environment.
Some fruit products which are artificially
ripened with high concentrations of ethylene
gas before they are sold (such as bananas
and sometimes stonefruit, avocadoes and
tomatoes) will experience reduced benefits.
Once a fruit has been exposed to very high
concentrations of ethylene, the fruit enters
a phase which causes their internal production
of ethylene to become very high. Once this
happens, it is then impossible to stop the
ripening process from following a rapid
course. This is why bananas are always so
difficult to keep…they are force ripened
by retailers and wholesalers before they
are sold.
Should I still use plastic bags when storing
my produce?
Yes, we recommend that plastic bags are
used when storing most vegetables and fruits
in the refrigerator, particularly for those
that do not have a hard skin of their own
and leafy greens. The bags will prevent
moisture loss which can make your produce
go soft and limp. You can use the bags provided
by your grocery store. The bags should never
be tightly sealed. They should be left open
or loosely tied at the ends.
How does KeepFresh work if my produce is
in plastic bags?
The plastic bags that grocery stores provide
are made of polyethylene, which is not a
strong barrier to ethylene so the ethylene
gas being produced can still be easily accessed
by KeepFresh.
Has KeepFresh been tested?
Universities in Australia and the USA have
tested KeepFresh Power Pellets and found
that they will removed up to 99% of ethylene
from the storage environment. KeepFresh
Power Pellets have also been used in storage
tests where they was on average a 60% increase
in fresh storage life across 23 lines of
produce tested. KeepFresh power pellets
have an international patent to protect
their unique technology.
Can you smell ethylene gas?
No. Ethylene is colorless and mostly odourless
however you can sometimes detect a sweet
smell at high concentrations. It is not
harmful to humans or animals and does not
affect meat poultry or non-plant foods.
Does KeepFresh give off any odour?
No, KeepFresh Power Pellets have no odor.
Is KeepFresh safe for use around children?
KeepFresh is completely safe and non-toxic
and it has no volatile components. It is
not an EPA waste hazard and you can discard
it with your regular rubbish. The KeepFresh
Power Pellets inside the sachet are not
for human consumption. They can be irritating
to body tissue and may temporarily stain
tissue upon contact. The sachet containing
your KeepFresh Power Pellets is designed
so that it does not need to be opened and
so there is no need for contact. If it is
opened and there is eye contact, immediately
flush with water. If ingested, drink several
glasses of water or milk and then seek medical
attention for safety.
Which fruits and vegetables produce the
most ethylene?
As a general rule, fruits give off more
ethylene than vegetables whilst vegetables
are more sensitive to the effects of ethylene.
You can check the relative production and
sensitivity of various produce items on
our Produce Reference Chart.
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KeepFresh
- Frequently Asked Questions
