Lotte Mart Adds 'Safety' to 'Taste' with State-of-the-Art Electrolyzed Water Washing Equipment

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte Mart announced on the 21st that it has introduced state-of-the-art electrolyzed water washing equipment for its 'Hwanggeum Dangdo' apple products to add 'safety' to the product's inherent value of 'taste.'

'Hwanggeum Dangdo' is Lotte Mart's premium fruit brand with about 20% higher sugar content than regular fruits. The newly introduced state-of-the-art electrolyzed water washing equipment was installed at the Chungbuk Horticultural Cooperative Chungchu Base APC located in Chungcheongbuk-do, where about 15% of the national apple production is cultivated.

The Chungchu Base APC has been a partner trading about 4,000 tons annually of apples, peaches, and other fruits with Lotte Mart since 2001. Recently, it received approximately 4 billion KRW in national funding support to install this equipment.

This equipment was developed over two years by analyzing the latest global sorting technologies and tailored to the characteristics of apples grown domestically. It can sort by weight selection, color sorting, external defects, internal defects, and simultaneously wash the entire apple fruit without individual packaging, unlike conventional sorting machines.

During the first sorting input, preliminary washing is performed, followed by baking soda washing in the second step to remove foreign substances on the surface. The third step is electrolyzed water washing, the fourth is general washing, and finally, air drying is applied. The washed apples are automatically sorted through a total of 56 outlets according to preset sugar content after color sorting and internal/external defect detection using non-destructive optical sensors.

'Hwanggeum Dangdo Chungju Apples' are produced from raw materials processed through the state-of-the-art electrolyzed water washing equipment. Apples sorted at the Chungju Base APC are delivered to the Lotte Fresh Quality Innovation Center, located 40 minutes away, while maintaining the cold chain system. Lotte Mart will sell 'Hwanggeum Dangdo Chungju Apples (4-6 pieces per pack)' nationwide at all stores for 11,800 KRW until the 27th.

Kim Chang-yong, Head of Lotte Mart's Product Division, said, “We will always strive to supply safe and high-quality food from the customer's perspective, seeing through the customer's eyes and understanding their heart and standpoint.”

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