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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wenatchee, Washington » Physiology and Pathology of Tree Fruits Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #200850
Title: HOW 1-MCP HAS ALTERED THE WASHINGTON STATE APPLE INDUSTRY

Author
item Mattheis, James

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2007
Publication Date: 1/11/2008
Citation: Mattheis, J.P. 2008. How 1-mcp has altered the washington state apple industry. HortScience. 43(1):99-101

Interpretive Summary: Commercialization of 1-MCP has provided a new tool to storage operators for management of fruit quality in the postharvest environment. For apple as an example, availability of the commercial 1-MCP product SmartFresh® has brought an additional dimension to decisions regarding postharvest chemical treatments, storage temperatures and temperature regimes, storage atmospheres, and planned storage duration based on fruit maturity at harvest. Post-storage impacts of 1-MCP use at harvest on handling and packing procedures have also become apparent with commercial use. Primarily due to slower loss of firmness in many cultivars, marketing programs have also been impacted as the “tails of the manifest” (large/small sizes, lower color grades) can be held longer in cold storage after packing. Although some quality issues, primarily related to physiological disorders occurring on specific cultivars, are yet to be fully resolved, continuing widespread use of 1-MCP is indicative of its commercial utility.

Technical Abstract: Commercialization of 1-MCP has provided a new tool to storage operators for management of fruit quality in the postharvest environment. For apple as an example, availability of the commercial 1-MCP product SmartFresh® has brought an additional dimension to decisions regarding postharvest chemical treatments, storage temperatures and temperature regimes, storage atmospheres, and planned storage duration based on fruit maturity at harvest. Post-storage impacts of 1-MCP use at harvest on handling and packing procedures have also become apparent with commercial use. Primarily due to slower loss of firmness in many cultivars, marketing programs have also been impacted as the “tails of the manifest” (large/small sizes, lower color grades) can be held longer in cold storage after packing. Although some quality issues, primarily related to physiological disorders occurring on specific cultivars, are yet to be fully resolved, continuing widespread use of 1-MCP is indicative of its commercial utility.