What if we could develop a cucumber that captured the imagination of the consumer who loves vegetables? A little over 2 and a half years ago BASF contacted a group of like-minded people from the horticultural sector and food processing industry and started a Cucumber Think Tank with the aim of developing cucumber products that create added value for consumers.
One hot topic they discovered when exploring the challenge from a customer-centric point of view was the ease of use and taste. With that in mind, the company started to develop a new type of cucumber. This new Intense cucumber answers the needs of a changing landscape where cooking and eating patterns have changed, partly encouraged by Covid-19.
"Short shelf life is one aspect of these, which comes from the release of moisture when a cucumber is prepared. BASF's Think Tank partners from the food processing industry highlighted this as a challenge. The new Intense cucumber overcomes this obstacle and, when added to the ingredients, leads to longer shelf life, a higher quality salad, and an improved consumer experience. It also increases production efficiency at Fresh Cut factories with less waste and faster and more efficient processing. This new Intense cucumber is the next level of convenience and an opportunity to create new recipes and products, giving consumers more inspiration and variety," the BASF team states.
For more information:
Hans Driessen
BASF Vegetable Seeds
[email protected]
www.nunhems.nl