When going out to replenish fruits and vegetables has become a challenge, and ideally a once or twice a month task, refrigerators are our friend. But our fridge can only do so much—that is extending the shelf life of produce so we don’t have to deal with slimy lettuce, or worse, something that starts with “food” and ends with “poisoning.”
Recognizing the value of getting vitamins and nutrients from fresh sources, while understanding the challenge of actually getting those vitamins and nutrients before they are gone, European home appliance brand Beko introduces HarvestFresh technology.
The HarvestFresh refrigerator technology mimics the 24-hour sun cycle in the crisper to help preserve fruits and vegetables’ vitamins for longer and keep them fresh “as the day they were picked.”
“Fruits and vegetables lose their vitamins over time,” Beko Pilipinas product marketing head Cecil Placia said during a virtual launch on Facebook, adding, “shortly after harvesting, fruits and vegetables lose their moisture and are at a great risk of spoiling.”
Citing a study that shows fruits and vegetables lose 30 percent of their nutrients three days after harvest, she opined, “No matter how many fruits and vegetables you take, the nutrients will not be enough for your body.”
To address this issue, the HarvestFresh technology uses three light colors: blue (for dawn), green (for midday), red (for dusk) to simulate natural sunlight to recreate the natural living environment of fruits and vegetables.
The LED light in the crisper, where produce are usually stored, illuminates in sequence within 12 hours (blue light for four hours, green light for two hours, and red light for six hours) and turns dark for another 12 (simulating nighttime).
The “inspired by nature, powered by light” technology, according to Placia, “helps maintain the level of vitamins in fruits and vegetables,” as backed by the study Beko conducted together with Intertek which showed that HarvestFresh refrigerators “preserve or even increase” the amount of vitamins C and A in tomatoes and bell peppers.
Marketing manager Dyeun Zapanta assured the LED light that stays on for 12 hours in the crisper consumes low energy.
The HarvestFresh technology is available in Beko’s 12 cu. ft. and 14.4 cu. ft refrigerators in silver, dark inox, and black glass finishes.
Other refrigerator innovations of the brand include EverFresh technology that maintains ideal humidity in the crisper, NeoFrost Dual Cooling Technology that provides two separate cooling systems for the freezer and fresh food compartment, and ProSmart inverter technology which is four times quieter than conventional compressor.
