01 March 2005

TIME magazine’s end-of-year innovation roundup cited New Zealand’s ripeSense as one of 36 greatest inventions of 2004.

ripeSense is a sophisticated packaging system for fruit. ripeSense sensors change colour by reacting to the aroma released by fruit as it ripens. The sensor is initially red and graduates to orange and finally yellow. By matching the colour of the sensor with their eating and/or storing preferences, customers can accurately choose fruit to their ripeness preference.

ripeSense, the result of seven years of research and development, is marketed by the Jenkins Group, the leading supplier to New Zealand's horticultural labelling industry, in partnership with HortResearch. HortResearch is a Crown Research Institute dedicated to horticultural science.

ripeSense gained international attention at the PMA exposition in Anaheim USA in September 2004.

The product is now available in supermarket chains in Washington, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as in the UK at Sainsbury’s supermarkets and in Australia.

The first ripeSense packaging is specifically for pears. Research and development is currently underway to create packaging for avocados, mangoes, stone fruit, melon and kiwifruit.

For more information:
www.ripesense.com