Key Takeaways
- Denver-based AgTech startup Onza Corp has launched FreshSure™, described as the world's first commercially available crystallized ozone sachet.
- The product is currently in trials with agricultural and food producers across three countries.
- Onza Corp says its patented technology converts ozone, an FDA- and USDA-approved organic antimicrobial, from an unstable gas into a stable, scalable solid format.
- The company says FreshSure is intended to reduce spoilage and foodborne illness risk at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to refrigerator.
- The company has received a grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development in support of the technology.
Onza Corp Launches FreshSure Solid Ozone Technology
Denver-based AgTech startup Onza Corp has introduced FreshSure™, which the company describes as the world's first commercially available crystallized ozone sachet. The product is currently in trials with major agricultural and food producers across three countries. Onza Corp says the technology makes ozone, one of nature's most powerful organic antimicrobials, stable, scalable and deployable across the food supply chain.
The Food Waste and Safety Problem
According to Onza Corp, about 48 million Americans get sick from contaminated food each year, and nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide fall ill from foodborne pathogens annually, with an estimated 420,000 deaths. The company also cites food system waste costs of $218 billion annually in the U.S. Ozone's ability to kill pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria has been established for decades, and the gas is FDA-approved, USDA-approved and organic, but Onza Corp says its instability and short shelf life as a gas have historically limited its use at scale.
How Onza Corp's Solid Ozone Technology Works
Onza Corp says it has developed a patented process that converts gases such as ozone into a stable solid format, resulting in FreshSure, a crystallized sachet the company says can be used anywhere along the produce supply chain, from farm to refrigerator. The company describes FreshSure as a slow-release sachet that neutralizes microbial contamination and slows the ripening process to extend shelf life and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
“We have spent years developing the technology to successfully convert useful gases like ozone into a solid, commercially friendly format,” said Onza Corp CEO Chuck Smith. “Today, with the launch of FreshSure, we are realizing an ambition to fundamentally change how the food supply chain operates. FreshSure trades bulky, expensive machinery for a sachet that costs less than $1 — bringing safer, fresher produce to suppliers and consumers everywhere.”
Applications Across the Supply Chain
Onza Corp says the technology could benefit farmers and wholesalers through reduced spoilage in transit, grocers and retailers through less shrink and longer-lasting inventory, and families through fresher food that lasts longer. The company also points to potential use in underserved markets where cold chain infrastructure is limited or unavailable. Onza Corp, which is headquartered in Denver and has received a grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development, says FreshSure is the first of several planned solid-gas products, with potential future applications in healthcare, water treatment, sanitation and consumer products.
“FreshSure isn't just a supply chain optimization product for developed markets,” Smith said. “It's a cost-effective, foundational technology with the potential to reshape food access and safety at a global scale. FreshSure is just the first of many industrialized gas products Onza Corp will develop and bring to market.”
