Cherry project tops off study

Fresh cherries don't come cheaply, so anything that extends their shelf life has to be of value both to the industry and the consumer.

Two men in Adelaide are working to develop new methods of refrigeration that aim to have important benefits for Australia's cherry industry, as well as exciting spin-offs in the preservation of other fresh fruit and vegetables both in Australia and overseas.

Dr Andrew Granger, Senior Research Scientist with the South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI), and Mr Jason Koenders, Manager of Alltech Refrigeration Services (Australia) Pty Ltd, have joined forces to tackle an issue that is extremely relevant to Australia's food industry and the general community.

These two managers from different organisations met as participants in the University of Adelaide's Professional Management Program (PMP), and from their involvement in the PMP have now formed a strategic alliance.

"Fresh fruit and vegetables are more in demand in today's market," Mr Koenders said. "We have a much larger variety of fruit and vegetables to choose from than just a few years ago. It is possible to achieve a longer shelf life for this fresh food through cooling, but most farmers have not changed their cooling and preservation processes."

Dr Granger said studies had shown that the critical time for the preservation of cherries was within the first few minutes of picking.

"For every hour that you delay getting cherries to zero degrees, you lose one day in shelf life," he said.

With a process known as vacuum cooling, Mr Koenders said it was possible to maintain the freshness of some fruit and vegetables by up to three weeks longer than those preserved through standard methods. Alltech now has an agreement with a patent holder on an Australian-built vacuum cooler.

"We're looking to take on the Australian and international markets in this area," Mr Koenders said.

The Professional Management Program, run by the Adelaide Graduate School of Business, is a program for ambitious senior and middle managers looking to strengthen their skills in leadership, analysis, decision making and strategic thinking.

Able to be completed within 12 months, the PMP provides a bridge to further study, such as the Adelaide MBA program, with status for two courses.

Participants are encouraged in team building, networking, and applying their skills in real-world situations, particularly for the benefit of their businesses or ventures.

Dr Granger and Mr Koenders said they had already seen benefits from taking part in the PMP.

"There's a natural fit between SARDI and Alltech, two Adelaide-based organisations that share a customer base in horticulture," Dr Granger said. "This is an excellent example of government and private industry working together - with education from the University of Adelaide helping to give us the skills we need to see the project through."

For more information about the Professional Management Program, contact Program Manager Rosemary Tanner on (08) 8303 4579 or email: rosemary.tanner@adelaide.edu.au

www.agsb.adelaide.edu.au/execed

Story by David Ellis