Immature 'Shine Muscat' Available Year-Round... Development of Long-Term Storage Technology

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Young-wook] The Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Institute announced on the 23rd that it has developed a technology to store the 'Shine Muscat,' a green grape variety that can be eaten with its skin, for more than six months.

Shine Muscat is characterized by its strong sweetness and rich muscat aroma, to the extent that it is called 'mango grape.' The fruit is large, seedless, and can be eaten with the skin, resulting in high consumer satisfaction. Recently, it has been gaining attention as a new high-income grape variety. Compared to traditional grapes, it has a superior appearance, leading to high demand as a gift both domestically and internationally. Especially in Southeast Asia, it is recognized as a premium fruit, and despite its high price, demand continues to grow steadily.

Since 2018, the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Institute has been researching storage and distribution technologies for the Shine Muscat variety in collaboration with local farming groups to expand cultivation areas and prepare for exports. As a result, they have developed a technology that can maintain high quality for over six months during storage.

Shine Muscat is usually harvested around September to October. With conventional grape storage methods, it can be stored for about three months, but by combining the newly developed sulfur pad and film packaging technology, it can be stored for more than six months without spoilage.

With the development of this long-term storage technology, it is expected that a year-round supply system for Shine Muscat can be established, connecting early harvesting through heated cultivation one to two months before the general harvest season, regular rain shelter cultivation, and shipment after storage.

Choi Ki-yeon, director of the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Institute, said, "By using the newly developed storage technology, it is expected to help stabilize prices by preventing oversupply through dispersing the supply period and securing export competitiveness. We will continue to strive to develop technologies so that Gyeongbuk's excellent agricultural products are supplied to consumers in high quality and linked to exports."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.