Researchers say they've found a new, inexpensive method of extending the shelf life of organic produce — a finding that could end up preventing needless waste and save consumers a few dollars in the process.

Edna Pesis, an agriculture researcher at the Volcani Center in Israel, said that putting apples in storage with low levels of oxygen for a week allows the fruit to be kept in cold storage for a longer period of time without causing any damage, according to the June issue of Chemistry & Industry magazine.

New research shows that putting organic produce in storage with low levels of oxygen can extend its shelf life.
(CBC)

Pesis pumped nitrogen into jars packed with Granny Smith apples, forcing the oxygen concentration down to three per cent. The apples were kept in the jars for seven days and then stored at 0 C for eight months. At the end of the test period, only 10 per cent of the apples were damaged by the cold temperatures. By comparison, 100 per cent of the apples not given the low-oxygen treatment were lost.

Organic fruits tend to spoil more quickly than conventional fruits because they are not treated with chemicals.

Pesis says the low-oxygen treatment might also help preserve organic avocados, tomatoes and other produce.

Organic foods have grown in popularity in recent years, according to the Certified Organics Report released in May by the Nielsen Company. It found that more than half of Canadian households purchased organically grown food in 2006, citing pesticide use as their primary concern.

The Certified Organic Growers Association says there were 3,618 certified organic growers in Canada in 2005, with another 241 farmers in the process of converting their conventional farms to organic.

More than 530,000 hectares of land are dedicated to growing organic food, the largest crop being wheat.