Thank science: Avocados that last 2x longer could be coming to Canada

CTV News Channel: Avocado's shelf life extended Apeel Science's James Rogers explains his company's edible coating that can extend the shelf life of an avocado.

Avocados that last twice as long thanks to a special food-based coating could soon be coming to Canada.

James Rogers, founder of Apeel Sciences, told CTV News Channel that he came up with the idea for produce-preserving coatings while studying engineering, and that he was inspired by stainless steel.

“Steel is perishable ... It rots and it reacts with oxygen,” he says. “But scientists made stainless steel, and to do that, they created this little barrier around the outside which protected that steel from further oxygen attack.”

Just like steel, exposure to water and oxygen causes fruits and vegetables to rot, so a protective coating that keeps oxygen out and water from escaping can keep the produce fresher for longer, he explains.

Rogers says that distributers and retailers are attracted to Apeel’s coating – a mix of lipids and glycolipids derived from seeds and pulp -- because spoilage is costly.

“The consumer will pay the same rate or even a lower price tag for the produce,” he predicts.

Apeel has signed up Costco in the U.S., and Rogers says the company is working with Canadian regulators to introduce the product to Canada.

The coating can also be applied to citrus fruits and a video produced by the company appears to show it working on everything from apples to red peppers to blueberries.

“The same thing that causes your avocado to spoil is the same thing that causes your strawberry to spoil,” Rogers explains.

Apeel is also a social enterprise. The company hopes to help increase the supply and variety of fresh produce in developing countries where slow supply chains make healthy food more difficult to access.

“That’s why we got into this in the first place and that still remains our mission,” Rogers says.