The Netherlands
January 6, 2020
Good news for salad processors and convenience food suppliers: all popular salads are now possible to mix thanks to a broad assortment of Knox™ lettuce varieties. The vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is introducing a large number of new lettuce varieties with this innovative trait. Knox™ reduces pink discoloration, thereby extending the shelf life of lettuce mixes and preventing spoilage. The new varieties will be on display during two major events in February: the Fruit Logistica on 5-7 February in Berlin and the Rijk Zwaan International Open Field Days on 10-14 February in Murcia, Spain.
In 2017, Knox™ won the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award. Three years later, the number of available varieties has increased exponentially, says Bauke van Lenteren, Specialist Convenience at Rijk Zwaan. “We now have over 20 commercial varieties with the Knox trait and another 50 promising varieties in the pipeline.”
Salanova® with Knox™
Salanova® Lettuce is available in all conceivable colours, textures and leaf shapes: green, red, crispy, soft, frilly and round. These multi-leaf lettuce varieties are often used in lettuce mixes because the leaves all have a uniform size and the lettuce head falls apart with a single cut: One cut, ready. “Customers in the convenience sector now can grow and process complete mixes with the Knox™ trait. We offer varieties for any climate zone, resulting in all year round availability.”
Knox™ – Perfect for Caesar Salad
The same applies to romaine lettuce. This lettuce is an essential ingredient in Caesar Salad, globally the most popular salad. “Discolouration of the salad at the cutting edge is a major challenge for fresh cut salad processors. With the introduction of Knox™ romaine lettuce varieties, this lettuce is now available all year round. This is a major opportunity for companies that produce fresh salads,” says Van Lenteren.
Iceberg Lettuce in Mixes
In addition, Rijk Zwaan has robust newcomers in the iceberg lettuce segment, an extremely popular and important ingredient in the fresh cut salad segment, but susceptible to pink discolouration. Consequently, there is a high demand for varieties with the Knox™ trait. Rijk Zwaan is introducing no less than six new varieties.
Stronger Together
The Knox™ lettuce varieties are on display during the Fruit Logistica in Berlin. During this trade show, Rijk Zwaan will promote the ‘Stronger Together’ theme; cooperating with partners as a means of having an even greater impact within the chain. “Interested parties from throughout the world are sincerely welcome. I will be present at the stand and on Wednesday 6 February will give a presentation on ‘Opportunities in the Catering and Convenience market’. Naturally, I will explain Rijk Zwaan’s Knox™ lettuce varieties here.” The week after this, the entire assortment of KnoxTM lettuce varieties can be reviewed at the Open Field Days from 10 - 14 February 2020 at the Rijk Zwaan location in Murcia, Spain. “We will be giving personal tours there by appointment,” the Specialist Convenience concludes. That’s how we share a healthy future.
To obtain more information about Rijk Zwaan’s Knox™ lettuce varieties during the Fruit Logistica in Berlin, visit our stand (Hall 1.2, Stand D-04). If you would like to speak with Bauke or one of our other experts, sign up via www.rijkzwaan.com/meet-us/fruit-logistica-2020
Topics
Species
