SmartFresh (SmartFresh Quality System) is a brand of a synthetic

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

quality enhancer containing 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). It is marketed by AgroFresh Solutions, Inc., a publicly held (NASDAQ:AGFS) U.S. company with global operations. SmartFresh technology halts the fruits and vegetables' natural ripening process to prolong freshness.

Function

1-MCP blocks the effects of both endogenous and exogenous ethylene through preferential attachment to the ethylene

receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any structure which, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and responds to a ...

. It is applied in storage facilities and transit containers to slow down the

ripening Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make th ...

process and the production of ethylene in

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

. Ethylene agent is not useful

postharvest In agriculture, postharvest handling is the stage of crop production immediately following harvest, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. The instant a crop is removed from the ground, or separated from its parent plant, it begins to ...

for fruit that is already ripe. The method of prolonging produce lifetime in this way was approved by the EU in 2005, and can be combined with standard

controlled atmosphere A controlled atmosphere is an agricultural storage method in which the concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, as well as the temperature and humidity of a storage room are regulated. Both dry commodities and fresh fruit and vegetab ...

technology.

Consumer concerns

The use of 1-MCP to prevent fruit ripening came under scrutiny by the press during late 2005, when it was shown that the method is occasionally used to inhibit ripening of fruit by as much as a year, causing consumers to purchase year-old fruit without being aware of it. Fruits which have been treated with 1-MCP do not trigger any labelling regulations, and are allowed for use with certified organic foods, and are therefore non-distinguishable from non-treated products. In the United States the

National Organic Program The National Organic Program (NOP) is the federal regulatory framework in the United States of America governing organic food. It is also the name of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) program ...

does not allow the use of 1-MCP on organic produce, however the only test devised by the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

; radioisolated analytical method is too expensive, though it can measure residues on fruit up to 90 days post treatment. Its convenience of application makes it easily accessible for farmers and producers. Studies have shown there is no residue left on the fruit post processing. Identified as a synthetic, 1-MCP is not approved for use on U.S. foods labeled “organic” by the United States Department of Agriculture. 1-MCP has regulatory approval for use on produce in more than 30 countries, including the U.S. and European Union. By 2006, retailers were split on whether this quality enhancer should be used. In a ''True Food Network'' publication of Greenpeace, Apple & Pear Australia business manager Tony Russell claimed that prolonged lifetime of produce is necessary to deliver edible fruit during the whole year, and that these fruits are still healthy. He was countered by Sydney Postharvest Laboratory director Dr Stephen Morris in that

Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...

and antioxidant levels may still decline, a concern also shared by others in the industry. SmartFresh is perceived by Susan Kegley, a senior scientist at the San Francisco-based Pesticide Action Network North America, as being “likely to be very low-risk to consumers”. Other scientists see 1-MCP as "most likely harmless to humans".

References

Notes

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Bibliography

* New York Times (2006)
Lasting crunch but less scent.
* Blankenship, S.M., and Dole, J.M. (2003). 1-Methylcyclopropene: A review. ''Postharvest Biol. Tech.'' 28, 1–25.

Function

Consumer concerns

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links