By Jakob Pott, Alex Tellekson, and Brendon Anthony
Consumer acceptance of fresh-cut roses is dependent not only on the appeal and presentation in the store but also on the length of time that those flowers maintain that appeal. “Vase-life” is the term used within the cut flower industry to characterize the number of days a bunch of roses meets consumer standards and expectations of quality in the vase, simulating what customers will experience at home. Although it may be intuitively understood that the less time roses spend in transit, storage and/or at the retailer, the longer they will maintain their freshness in the vase, the other underlying environmental factors contributing to vase-life reduction are difficult to identify. Due to these gaps in the current understanding of what happens physiologically to roses between the time they are harvested and purchased, the lack of good decision-making tools available to participants throughout the supply chain becomes evident, and the need for a solution more acutely felt.
As new technologies emerge, these gaps in understanding can be increasingly eliminated from supply chain logistics as scientists learn more and more about postharvest physiology of flowers. The value of the relationship between new innovations and a greater understanding is only felt when the information produced by these technologies are interpreted and implemented as decision-making tools. Upon proper implementation, resource allocation can be optimized, waste reduced, and inventory management tailored to serve the most appropriate markets available. Any tools that serve this end may then contribute to the prevention of needless financial losses (due to postharvest waste) and consumer dissatisfaction, which reduces a willingness to repurchase fresh roses (i.e., customer retention).
RipeLocker, a dynamic hypobaric storage system, has proven to be highly efficacious, extending the time roses can be stored while remaining fresh by 4-6 weeks compared to other standard industry storage methods. This efficacy is achieved by controlling the amount of oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases in a low-pressure, high-humidity environment. The RipeLocker system can control these environmental factors while fitting neatly into existing conventional cold storage infrastructure by measuring and adjusting the composition of oxygen and carbon dioxide as the flowers respire and subsequently alter the ratio of O2 and CO2. Not only then does the RipeLocker extend rose storage, but this real-time monitoring of respiration allows for additional insights into the health and condition of the flowers stored in the hypobaric chamber.
Because the RipeLocker system can characterize the storage environment (e.g., gas concentrations, partial pressure, temperature) and the status of the flowers themselves as they actively respond to their environment (via respiration rates and respiratory quotient), it was hypothesized that this information could provide valuable insights into the vase-life of flowers (in particular, roses) stored in a RipeLocker chamber. To confirm if this hypothesis was correct, RipeLockers filled with ‘Freedom’ roses were opened over the course of five weeks, vase-life was evaluated, and the average amount of cumulative CO2 that was produced and measured by the system prior to each opening was logged. These data were then correlated with the average number of days of vase-life of the flowers removed at each opening experienced.
In general, the longer flowers are stored, the shorter the vase life can become. RipeLocker’s goal is to ensure the vase-life is maintained even after four to six weeks of storage. As expected, after 5 weeks of storage, the vase-life of RipeLocker-stored flowers matched the initial vase-life of 10+ days. Additionally, results from this trial demonstrated a strong inverse relationship between the amount of cumulative CO2 each chamber of bunches produced and the number of days each stem achieved during vase-life. This statistical relationship was then modeled to predict average vase-life using the data gathered by our system, and then externally validated using vase-life data from customers. This preliminary vase-life prediction model demonstrated an error rate of less than one day, with indications that greater precision and accuracy can be attained. Since respiration is seen to be an indicator of how roses and other perishables respond to their environments, these observations are the first steps in offering a deeper understanding of the links between storage conditions, rose respiration rate (i.e., CO2 production), and vase-life duration. These connections further demonstrate the value of systems providing real-time measurements and the prediction of performance indicators such as vase-life.
The value of these findings is twofold. Not only is there value in being able to store roses in great condition for four to six weeks in RipeLockers, but by leveraging the RipeLocker data system, additional value can be created via its’ constant monitoring of rose health and predictive capacity for vase-life performance. As a result, supply chain logistics could be improved with this knowledge, as inventory decisions can be made based on the physiological status of the roses stored inside RipeLockers, as expressed and modeled by the real-time data presented. With further calibration and development of these predictive models, distributors and retailers can better manage their inventory and increase the efficiency of their operations by identifying portions of their inventory best suited for long term storage, long-distance shipping, and/or local retailers. This level of informed decision making increases the total number of flowers reaching the market by reducing waste and provides greater confidence in the longevity of the roses for both the buyer and seller. These innovations secure the future of the cut flower business by increasing revenue otherwise lost to waste, and by satisfying consumers with a consistent and high-quality product.
This blog is in paid partnership with Ripelocker.