Laser-etched labels safe for fruit: study

Consumers may no longer have to deal with those annoying little adhesive stickers tacked on to fruit and vegetables thanks to new laser etching technology.

The technology uses a low-energy carbon dioxide laser beam to label or "etch" information directly on to a fruit's peel or skin.

It has been been approved for use in Canada and many other countries, including in the EU, and is in the final stages of approval in the U.S.

However, Florida researchers questioned whether laser etching would cause fruit to deform or rot more quickly.

A study published this week in the journal Hort Technology suggested laser etching was as safe as adhesive sticker labelling, and was tamper-free.

"The technology will offer the grapefruit industry a safe alternative to adhesive sticker labelling without enhancing decay susceptibility," according to the study.

The research team, which included scientists from the University of Florida and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, focused on the grapefruit because it makes up 43 per cent of the state's citrus production.

They wondered whether etching would result in water loss, affecting the fruit's physical appearance and ultimately making it less appealing. They also wondered whether the pinhole depressions would increase the number of entry sites for decay-promoting organisms.

They stored laser-labelled fruit in a cooler for five weeks and found there was no more decay than the non-etched control fruit. Researchers even coated fruit with penicillin spores before and after etching, and no decay was observed, the study found.