Groundbreaking appliance keeps lychees fresher for longer

A Chinese home appliance manufacturer has developed a mobile appliance that keeps lychees fresh, helping effectively extend the preservation period of the traditional agricultural product in Guangdong province.

In addition to cold storage, the appliance, independently researched and developed by Gree Electric Appliances, has other functions including adding humidity, sterilization and precise temperature control, according to the company.

"The appliance will help effectively reduce the water loss rate of lychees, inhibit the respiration of the fruit and prevent the invasion of microbials," said Dong Mingzhu, chairwoman of Gree.

The fresh-keeping appliance, with an effective internal volume of 20 cubic meters for storage which can hold five tons of lychees, is applied for pre-cooling and storage in orchards, distribution centers and rural cooperatives in the lychee industry, according to the company.

"It can help keep the freshness of lychees for a month, thanks to cutting-edge technology adopted in the appliance," she said.

The first of such an appliance was launched in early June and put into use at an orchard in Maoming, Guangdong, a traditional production and trade base of lychee.

"After the introduction of the fresh-keeping appliance, lychees could not only be sold in the domestic market, but be better shipped overseas," Dong said on Sunday during a media group visit to Gree focusing on high-quality development.

Traditionally, lychees enter their harvest season in June and July in Guangdong. It is usually hard to keep the freshness of the fruit due to hot weather and humidity.

"More technologies and high-tech facilities should be used in traditional agricultural industry to help increase its production and trade efficiency," said Dong, adding the company would invest more in developing technologies to help keep freshness of agricultural products.