Akorn Technology has commercially launched Akorn Natural Guard, a plant-derived post-harvest treatment that delivered full control of anthracnose in mango trials run with Brazil's Federal University of the São Francisco Valley (UNIVASF), while extending shelf life by up to 10 days.
The product targets the most damaging post-harvest disease in mango, which the company said affects 30% to 60% of production in many growing regions and can reach 100% under severe conditions. For a 22-tonne export container valued above $40,000, losses on that scale equate to $12,000 to $24,000 of fruit written off per shipment.
Anthracnose is conventionally managed with synthetic fungicides such as azoxystrobin, difenoconazole and prochloraz, a reliance that has raised concerns over residues, worker exposure and resistance. Akorn said its formulations are fully natural and built for export-market compatibility, and that improved transit performance could lift grower profitability by as much as 50%.
"We view Akorn Natural Guard as the beginning of a broader platform capable of delivering multiple layers of functionality simultaneously," said Anthony Zografos, founder and chief executive of Akorn Technology.
