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Rolawn’s ProFresh System is a unique patented and trademarked system which, when used in conjunction with our specially developed turf growing regime, significantly extends the shelf life of turf.
It takes many years of planning, cultivating and nurturing to produce a crop of high quality turf. However, the key challenge is to ensure timely delivery to the customer, given that turf is a highly perishable product and can deteriorate very rapidly once harvested.
When turf is harvested the grass plants are still actively growing, which generates significant amounts of heat and respiration gases within the pallet of turf. The soil on the back of each roll of turf acts as an insulator and prevents heat escaping.
Air temperature, the time of year and the time between harvesting and laying can also impact on the rate of deterioration. In extreme cases the temperature within the centre of a pallet of turf can reach nearly 70 oC within a matter of hours, thus killing the turf.
This process is known as sod heating and causes excess waste, deterioration in quality and even product failure, if the turf is not laid within the required time period after harvesting.
How to extend the shelf life of turf in a commercially viable manner has been the holy grail of the turf industry for years. Straightforward refrigeration can be used. However, this is expensive and does not effectively reduce the heat throughout the pallet.
Calling on our technical expertise gained by being at the forefront of our industry, since 2001 we have collaborated with several leading universities, both in the UK and abroad and have received significant research and development grant funding.
Using the ProFresh system, after harvesting, turf is placed in an air-tight vessel, from which air is slowly drawn out. The lower pressure has a cooling effect on the turf and also removes harmful respiration gases.
When air is let back into the pressurised vessel, it is filtered to provide optimum respiration gas conditions. This air is then drawn into the middle of each pallet of turf, due to the vacuum which has been created.
A pallet of turf is a very solid, dense mass. In the same way as heat cannot escape when it is generated, once the core of the pallet is cooled down and the gases modified, the internal conditions of the pallet will remain that way for some period of time.
Harvesting methods have also been refined to optimise the benefits provided by the ProFresh® system.
Independent tests carried out by the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), the UK’s leading independent authority in turfgrass research agronomy, concluded that the Rolawn ProFresh® system significantly extends the shelf life of Rolawn turf, meaning that it stays greener and fresher for longer, even in warm conditions.
Rolawn protects its intellectual property. We own trademarks and a protected logo on the ProFresh® system.
Elements of the machinery also have registered design rights. Furthermore, there are a number of patents pending and registered on various aspects of the system.
The ProFresh system is also fully patented in a number of international markets.
This cutting-edge technology also assists with packaging of full pallets and individual turf rolls; providing greater traceability and quality control, and enabling us to include sell-by dates, barcodes and branding on our turf.
The ProFresh system highlights Rolawn’s commitment to innovation, and demonstrates why Rolawn is the grower of Britain’s finest turf and the recognised benchmark of quality and service.
*Excluding Turfmaster roll format.
It takes many years of planning, cultivating and nurturing to produce a crop of high quality turf. However, the key challenge is to ensure timely delivery to the customer, given that turf is a highly perishable product and can deteriorate very rapidly once harvested.
When turf is harvested the grass plants are still actively growing, which generates significant amounts of heat and respiration gases within the pallet of turf. The soil on the back of each roll of turf acts as an insulator and prevents heat escaping.
Air temperature, the time of year and the time between harvesting and laying can also impact on the rate of deterioration. In extreme cases the temperature within the centre of a pallet of turf can reach nearly 70 oC within a matter of hours, thus killing the turf.
This process is known as sod heating and causes excess waste, deterioration in quality and even product failure, if the turf is not laid within the required time period after harvesting.
How to extend the shelf life of turf in a commercially viable manner has been the holy grail of the turf industry for years. Straightforward refrigeration can be used. However, this is expensive and does not effectively reduce the heat throughout the pallet.
Calling on our technical expertise gained by being at the forefront of our industry, since 2001 we have collaborated with several leading universities, both in the UK and abroad and have received significant research and development grant funding.
Using the ProFresh system, after harvesting, turf is placed in an air-tight vessel, from which air is slowly drawn out. The lower pressure has a cooling effect on the turf and also removes harmful respiration gases.
When air is let back into the pressurised vessel, it is filtered to provide optimum respiration gas conditions. This air is then drawn into the middle of each pallet of turf, due to the vacuum which has been created.
A pallet of turf is a very solid, dense mass. In the same way as heat cannot escape when it is generated, once the core of the pallet is cooled down and the gases modified, the internal conditions of the pallet will remain that way for some period of time.
Harvesting methods have also been refined to optimise the benefits provided by the ProFresh® system.
Independent tests carried out by the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), the UK’s leading independent authority in turfgrass research agronomy, concluded that the Rolawn ProFresh® system significantly extends the shelf life of Rolawn turf, meaning that it stays greener and fresher for longer, even in warm conditions.
Rolawn protects its intellectual property. We own trademarks and a protected logo on the ProFresh® system.
Elements of the machinery also have registered design rights. Furthermore, there are a number of patents pending and registered on various aspects of the system.
The ProFresh system is also fully patented in a number of international markets.
This cutting-edge technology also assists with packaging of full pallets and individual turf rolls; providing greater traceability and quality control, and enabling us to include sell-by dates, barcodes and branding on our turf.
The ProFresh system highlights Rolawn’s commitment to innovation, and demonstrates why Rolawn is the grower of Britain’s finest turf and the recognised benchmark of quality and service.
*Excluding Turfmaster roll format.