According to Fresh Inset, vibrant colors make carnations well-known and widely popular. Yet, they are also prone to rapid deterioration and have a short vase life. "Vidre+ technology offers an effective and environmentally friendly solution to slow down the ripening process on carnations. After 10 days of tests, 73% of carnations treated with Vidre+ maintained excellent quality compared to only 20% of the untreated ones. Our technology can extend the vase life of carnations and help reduce waste across the floral industry."
The market for carnations was worth $564M in 2022, states Fresh Inset. According to "The Biology of Carnation"1 by the Australian Department of Health: "carnations have been the third most traded flower (both import and export) during the five years from 2014 to 2018, behind rose and chrysanthemum."
"Carnations are one of the most popular flowers, and they are susceptible to ethylene, often resulting in premature flower drop and affecting quality. Our technology aims to neutralize the negative effects of ethylene gas, prolonging the vase life of cut carnations, reducing waste, and addressing environmental challenges. Carnations are currently often treated with Silver to mitigate the effects of ethylene, an environmentally harmful solution." — states Peter Vriends, Fresh Inset COO.
Testing carnations
The Dutch Flower lab researched how Vidre+ technology can affect cut carnations. In a study, five varieties of Carnations — red, white, yellow, pink, and dark red. Vidre+™ stickers were applied inside the flower sleeve, just below the flowers. Then flowers were shipped by sea freight from Kenya to the Netherlands. The test included 10 days-long vase-life simulation in carefully controlled conditions, under time-lapse cameras.
Results
The test results after 10 days revealed a significant reduction in ethylene sensitivity in flowers treated with Vidre+ compared to untreated ones, states the Fresh Inset team.
Graph: Overall quality of Carnations after 10 days
"Vidre+ helps maintain carnations in excellent condition for longer. Tests proved it extended petal longevity, improved color retention, and reduced wilting. By extending the vase life of cut flowers throughout the supply chain, Vidre+ also reduces the amount of unsold or discarded flowers, minimizing flower waste. Carnations treated with Vidre+ exhibited prolonged freshness, improved aesthetics, and reduced waste."
For more information:
Fresh Inset
freshinset.com