A MALAYSIAN company, called Stixfresh, has created a sticker that can preserve the freshness and extend the shelf life of certain fruits for up to 14 days.
Stixfresh founder Zhafri Zainudin invented the sticker after a friend, who owns a fruit stall, complained about losing money due to fruits going bad too quickly.
“I can’t stop nature, but I could slow it down,“ said Zhafri, who founded Stixfresh with Buquari Othman in 2017.
The 100% sticker is coated with sodium chloride and beeswax. It slows down the ripening process by removing ethylene, the ripening hormone found in fresh produce.
The edible sticker also inhibit mold from growing. It is said to work best with mangoes, avocados, papayas, dragon fruits, star fruits, apples, and pears.
Stixfresh, which is currently operating in Senawang, Negri Sembilan, was a winner of the Asean Rice Bowl Startup Awards 2018 for Best Food/Agri Tech Startup award.
They spent almost RM1.8 million on researching and development, Intellectual Property through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and machinery equipment for production and exhibitions in promoting StixFresh.
It has set its sights on the global market, with focus on Europe, Africa, Asia and the American continent.
“We would also like to introduce a new concept for smaller fruits with soft skins like berries and others in the near future. We would like to tackle the same problem that vegetables are faced with,“ said Zhafri.
