Chiquita pineapple bites named best new fruit product at the United Fresh Produce annual convention

Healthy snacks attracted a lot of attention at the 2009 annual convention and expo of the United Fresh Produce Association in Las Vegas. Chiquita Pineapple Bites was named Best New Fruit or Vegetable Product as the produce trade association announced the winners of its first-ever competition in new product categories.

All United Fresh convention exhibitors were eligible to submit new products, and each entry was evaluated on the following criteria: impact on fresh produce quality and consumer satisfaction; potential to enhance industry profitability and sales; innovation and creativity in product concept; and use of new technology to create added value. Chiquita Pineapple Bites won the best new fruit or vegetable product award, while Fresh Express branded Gourmet Cafe Salad was a finalist in the broader new product competition making Chiquita the only company with two finalists for best new product consideration.

Pineapple Bites was launched in April in grocery stores throughout the U.S. The single-serve 2.8-ounce pineapple spear comes in two flavors: traditional and coconut. The product can be frozen or eaten fresh and is packaged like a push-up popsicle without the stick. The new product idea came from research with consumers who asked about making fresh fruit more portable and easier to eat anywhere you want.

"We were delighted to be recognized by our peers for new product innovation and creativity," said Brian Kocher, president of Chiquita North America. "Chiquita Pineapple Bites is an example of our innovation work designed to win the hearts and minds of consumers with branded fresh foods."

"We are proud to be able to extend our leadership position in bananas and value-added salads while creating consumer excitement in the growing category of healthy snacks," added Kocher.

About Chiquita Brands International, Inc.

Chiquita Brands International, Inc. is a leading international marketer and distributor of high-quality fresh and value-added food products - from energy-rich bananas and other fruits to nutritious blends of convenient green salads. The company markets its healthy, fresh products under the Chiquita(R) and Fresh Express(R) premium brands and other related trademarks. With annual revenues of nearly $4 billion, Chiquita employs approximately 23,000 people and has operations in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Publication date: 5/6/2009

US: Pineapple, the true miracle fruit

When it comes to a healthy diet, all of us are aware that a nutritional regimen consisting of an abundance of fruits and vegetables is a sure way to a healthy lifestyle. Some plant based foods fight cancer, some assist in bolstering the immune system, and still others make the aging process a bit more palatable by assuaging such maladies as macular degeneration. Each vegetable and fruit seems to have its own “specialty” when it comes to the health benefits they provide.

All except for the pineapple; this wonderfully tasty fruit doesn’t just have one specialty, it offers a plethora of health benefits that no miracle drug could ever claim. Indigenous to South America, primarily Brazil and Paraguay, here are some of the pluses that pineapple provides to the health conscious:

Vitamin C

Pineapples have an abundance of this free radical fighting vitamin, along with a good portion of B1, B6 and magnesium, according to the online journal “Elements 4 Health.” Centuries ago, explorers discovered that the fruit was an effective “cure” for scurvy; thus the first instances of pineapple importation across the continents.

Bromelain

Many of the positive health benefits come from one substance found throughout the pineapple: bromelain. Bromelain is a protein ingesting enzyme, known as a proteolytic enzyme, that aids digestion and “banishes inflammation better than drugs,” according to Barbara Minton, editor of Natural Health.

According to a study conducted by Duke University Medical Center, bromelain is an effective agent against bowel disease. Already effective on its own, bromelain also works as a catalyst with other substances and enzymes to produce favorable results. As far as breaking down proteins, bromelain is as effective as meat tenderizer.

More Health Benefits

Pineapple, loaded with the “miracle” enzyme bromelain, doesn’t just aid digestion and the immune system. Following are more benefits noted by researchers:

Reduces Swelling

Because of its anti-inflammatory attributes, the bromelain in pineapple reduces swelling in bruises and sprains. Doctors have also found that it can reduce postoperative swelling and tenderness.

And, according to “Elements 4 Health,” clinical studies have shown that treating osteoarthritis patients with proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain is equivalent in effectiveness to NSAID treatment.

Benefits the Circulatory System

Heart patients can benefit from bromelain because it eliminates thrombosis in its entirety, according to the journal “Med Hypotheses.” The enzyme also significantly reduces excessive coagulating of the blood.

Fights Free Radicals

According to a recent article in Natural Health, researchers found that skin tumors in laboratory mice were reduced by 65%. Volume in the tumors was significantly reduced because the bromelain results in the up-regulation of the anti-cancer gene p53.

Historically, the pineapple has been a symbol for hospitality. Soon it will become increasingly known for its myriad health benefits; truly, some “[pine]apple a day, helps keep the doctor away.”


Source: foodconsumer.org

Publication date: 5/4/2009

Awe Sum offers gold pineapple from

05/01/2009 By Ashley Bentley

Organic importer Awe Sum Organics Inc. is bringing in a new Peruvian gold pineapple this year.

A pineapple being imported into the U.S. from Peru by Awe Sum Organic Inc. under the Sol Sol label is an improved variety, says David Posner, president and chief executive officer.

Capitola, Calif.-based Awe Sum Organics, formerly Farmers Fruit Express Inc., expected its first shipment of the MD2 gold pineapple late April.

“It’s a better variety of gold pineapple,” said David Posner, president and chief executive officer. “It’s grown right next to the equator, so it’s really sweet and juicy because of the nice, dry climate.” click for more...

DA researcher discovers technique to grow pineapple that meets export standards

A researcher from the Research Outreach Station of the Department of Agriculture (DA) here has discovered a technique for growing export-quality pineapple.

“Pineapple performs well when given the right amount of fertilizer,” and the new technique would give fruit growers fruits “that are in accordance with the standards of the export market,” DA researcher Inocencio Obrero said.

In his study entitled “Performance of Queen Pineapple as Influenced by Varying Amounts of Nitrogen and Potassium Fertilizers,” Obrero found out that nitrogen and potassium applied to the soil improve the height, length and width of the pineapple plant’s leaves.

Attaining a specific plant growth means high-quality fruits that suit the requirements of the export market, he said.

Applying of nitrogen and 200 kilograms of potassium to a hectare of land planted with the Formosa queen variety would prompt the plants to yield the desired fruit quality, Obrero said.

This rate of fertilizer application also highly influences the total soluble solids or sugar (TSS) of the fruit although it has little effect on crown size and sucker production, he said.

“Both nitrogen and potassium fertilizers are vital to increasing the weight and size of queen pineapples. To pass the export requirement, the fruit should be 15 centimeters in length, 10 centimeters in diameter and 14-percent TSS [content],” he said.

This is a welcome breakthrough as farmers, particularly in Camarines Norte—one of the top producers of queen pineapple variety in the country—can now produce fruits of the required length, diameter and sweetness, according to DA regional executive director Jose Dayao.

“This means more income for farmers as fruits produced through this technique command a higher price,” Dayao said.

Obrero’s study, DA regional chief said, was designed to improve the queen pineapple production of Camarines Norte and other parts of the Bicol region.

Pineapple fruits from the province are export products that have penetrated several markets, like the US, Japan and Australia. Through this breakthrough in research, “our queen pineapple would become more competitive in the world market,” Dayao added.

While Camarines Norte is Bicol’s main pineapple producer, it has also emerged as a key source of hand-loomed fabric that uses fiber out of pineapple leaves. The fabric is mainly used as material for the Filipino costume barong Tagalog.

“Indeed, our pineapple of the Formosa queen variety, whose fruits are not only sold in the domestic market but also exported abroad, offers our farmers a good source of income,” Vice Mayor Serafin Raymundo of this provincial capital said. “And now the fibers of its leaves provide an alternative source of livelihood for our handloom weavers.”

With the quality of pineapple leaves enhanced by the technique discovered by Obrero, farmers would be able also to produce more fiber for weaving the piña cloth, he added.


Source: businessmirror.com.ph

Publication date: 5/4/2009

Malaysia: Kubang Pasu to have big pineapple plantation

The Kubang Pasu district is set to become Kedah's largest pineapple exporting area soon.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Johari Baharum said a study had shown that the district could host a commercial-scale pineapple plantation.

Johari, who is also the Kubang Pasu member of parliament, said the ministry was planning to plant pineapple on a 1,200ha site in the district soon.

"The soil quality and rain-fall is suitable to plant pineapples.

"There is a 200ha pineapple plantation in Bukit Kayu Hitam near here, which produces good quality crop," he said here on Saturday.
Johari said he would meet the district's Area Farmers Association to discuss the matter.

He added that he would also seek help from the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board to advise villagers and farmers interested in planting the crop.

"The plantation will help generate income for rural folk," he said.

"There is great demand in the market for raw and processed pineapples.

"I hope the people of Kubang Pasu will use this opportunity to improve their livelihood."



Source: nst.com.my