One of the lessons I learned from the MinDA Tienda in Manila which ended yesterday was the need to modernize Mindanao’s fruit industry through the introduction of advanced methods of preservation and packaging.
I saw high spoilage of fruits, especially Lanzones, Marang, Rambutan and even Mangosteen, simply because these were transported in carton boxes.
Early today, while preparing for a meeting with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and PSI Air Cargo Chief Executive Officer Amir Mogadashi, I fired off a message to two Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) officers, Undersecretary Janet Lopoz and Asst. Sec. Romeo Montenegro.
I asked both of them to look into the establishment of the modern fruit and vegetable freezing facility called the IQF or Individual Quick Freezing which could preserve fruits and vegetables for as long as 28 months.
“Individual Quick Freezing, usually abbreviated IQF, is a freezing method used in food processing industry. Products commonly frozen with IQF technologies are typically smaller pieces of food products and can range from all types of berries, fruits and vegetables diced or sliced, seafood such as shrimps and small fish, meat, poultry and even pasta, cheese and grains.[1] Products that have been subjected to IQF are referred to as Individually Quick Frozen or IQF’d,” according to wikipedia.
“One of the main advantages of this method of preparing frozen food is that the freezing process takes only a few minutes. The exact time depends on the type of IQF freezer and the product. The short freezing prevents formation of large ice crystals in the product’s cells, which destroys the membrane structures at the molecular level.[2] [3] This makes the product keep its shape, colour, smell and taste after defrost, at a far greater extent,” wikipedia added.
This is the technology used by our neighbors which is why fruits from China, Japan and South Korea look so fresh even when these go through long shipping and handling processes.
The IQF technology is now being used by private companies in the Philippines in preserving shrimps and other fruits.
The small vegetable and fruit farmers, however, do not have access to this modern freezing facility and technology thus they transport their fruits wrapped in banana sheaths and carton boxes and suffer tremendous losses.
The establishment of the IQF common service facility in key production areas will now be a new initiative which will be undertaken by the MinDA as the agency finds ways to improve the agriculture and fisheries industries of Mindanao.
Soon, Mindanao fruits will be delivered and sold in the market looking fresh as the day these were picked and harvested.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
(Photos of the IQFd fruits and the IQF equipment were downloaded from public websites.)
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