Lotte Mart said on the 18th it will ship 600 tons of apples using controlled atmosphere (CA) storage technology to stores nationwide.
Controlled atmosphere storage is a technology that goes beyond controlling temperature and humidity by lowering the oxygen concentration inside storage rooms to suppress produce respiration. This slows aging and reduces the occurrence of microbes and mold, allowing texture and nutrition similar to freshly harvested produce to be maintained even months after harvest.
Lotte Mart will ship 600 tons of apples that have been stored in the controlled atmosphere warehouse at the Lotte Fresh Quality Innovation Center in Jeungpyeong, North Chungcheong. This is about 20% more than last year, the result of securing supply in advance in light of supply instability caused by poor yields.
The "just as freshly picked apples (4–6 count/bag/domestic)" to be introduced this time will be sold for 17,990 won starting on the 19th, and among apples harvested in Oct. last year, only high-sugar fruit with at least 13 Brix was carefully selected through non-destructive sugar content grading.
Behind Lotte Mart's decision to ship CA-stored apples about a month earlier than usual is supply instability at the "end of storage." Typically, March–April is when supplies of stored apples decline and freshness drops sharply. In particular, apples harvested last year saw a significant decrease in sugar content and storability due to unusual heavy rains, making it harder to maintain quality over time. In response, Lotte Mart plans to introduce stored volumes early to proactively supply products with stable quality.
Along with apples, Lotte Mart will also ship onions harvested in June last year. The "just as freshly harvested firm CA-stored onions (1.5 kg/net/domestic)" will be sold for 4,990 won.
Chae Hee-cheol, merchandise planner (MD) for the fruit team at Lotte Mart and Lotte Super, said, "Abnormal weather sharply reduced apple yields and drove prices up, but we were able to secure more volume than last year through a proactive response using controlled atmosphere storage technology," and added, "We will proactively respond to climate risk going forward to provide consumers with reasonable prices and fresh quality at the same time."