Morgan Hill, California, USA
July 16, 2015
Sakata Seed America recently unveiled a ground-breaking new variety of cantaloupe that offers all of the most desirable melon qualities. Bred through traditional breeding practices, Infinite Gold LSL (Long Shelf Life) melon offers long shelf life, high-yield potential and infinite flavor. The melon is highly valued for its holding ability in the field, allowing more flexibility when it comes to harvest, long-distance transportation and prolonged freshness on the retailer’s shelf, in the professional chef’s kitchen and on the consumer’s counter.
“Infinite Gold is the next big thing in cantaloupes, where strong performance meets great fruit quality,” stated Gattis Guffey, Senior Melon Product Development Manager at Sakata. “Over the past 10 years, cantaloupes have been limited to one or two of the following attributes - durability, yield or flavor. Infinite Gold delivers all three of these, which means growers and suppliers no longer have to sacrifice one for the other.”
The long shelf life characteristics of Infinite Gold help to provide growers with some flexibility in harvest timing based on weather, market prices or the availability of labor. They can be harvested in as little as two to three trips, as opposed to seven or eight for Western Shipper types. Fewer passes save money on fertilizer, use less water and require fewer people and machines, also reducing the risk of contamination and minimizing food safety hazards.
Typically, developing an LSL melon had to come at the cost of overall flavor, but not anymore. Infinite Gold offers the rich flavor and deep coloring that consumers love, creating the perfect balance between melony, musky, sweet and floral. In fact, the flavor of Infinite Gold has ranked higher than the leading competition in flavor, texture, aroma and overall quality in two separate third party research studies.
“What we have done is develop a premium melon that provides benefits at all levels of the supply chain,” said Guffey. “Not only do growers experience the benefits, but packers, shippers, foodservice distributors, processors, retailers and consumers all reap the rewards. At Sakata, we believe in Infinite Gold and we’re committed to educating all levels of the industry and the consumer about its amazing benefits.
Sakata invites PMA Foodservice attendees to come taste the Infinite Gold difference for themselves. The company will serve Infinite Gold Margaritas and appetizers made with the melon during the Networking Lounge and Education Center Happy Hour on Friday, July 24 at 3:00 p.m. in the Monterey Marriott. You can learn more at http://InfiniteCantaloupe.com.
About Sakata Seed
Sakata Seed America was established in 1977 as a research, production and sales division of Sakata Seed Corporation. Its mission is to quickly and efficiently meet industry expectations for quality seed, strong performance and excellent yields, as well as retail and consumer demand for delicious fruit and vegetables. Sakata Seed America is headquartered in Morgan Hill, CA, with research facilities in Salinas, California, Yuma, Arizona and Fort Myers, Florida. Sakata has a long history of breeding breakthrough fruit and vegetable varieties.
Topics
Species
