Helping industry with a slippery problem

IO6: Licence to operate

A proactive and innovative approach by NMR Scientist Dr Stefan Hill helped a major New Zealand fruit exporter overcome a slippery manufacturing glitch that may have resulted in a financial loss for the company, and possible health-related issues for consumers. 

When asked by the exporter to identify a greasy substance found on some of the packaging, and its potential to contaminate the fruit, Stefan developed an easy screening approach using UV light that the exporter was able to adapt for use in the packhouse. This enabled large volumes of product to be screened and segregated quickly on site. Further chemical testing identified the contaminant as machine grease, and ascertained that it had not penetrated the skin of the fruit.

Scion’s innovative science meant the whole shipment of fruit was subsequently able to be sorted and cleared for export.