Remembering an innovator who advanced fruit quality

Consumers have not always been able to find such a wide variety of consistent, quality fresh apples in the grocery store year-round. These are delicacies consumers have grown accustomed to since the invention of 1-Methyclyclopropene (1-MCP) by the late Dr. Edward Sisler, who passed away February 12. Recognized as the “father of 1-MCP”, Dr. Sisler spent much of his career as a professor and researcher at North Carolina State University. He led numerous research studies and held 16 patents, including one for 1-MCP. Patented in 1996 by Dr. Sisler and Sylvia Blankenship, 1-MCP temporarily controls ethylene, a naturally occurring hormone that causes fruit to ripen. The discovery was first applied to ornamental flowers. AgroFresh1 brought the innovation to the fruit market through its SmartFresh™, Harvista™ and RipeLock™ technologies, used on apples, pears, kiwis, bananas and other produce around the world. “Dr. Sisler’s discovery of 1-MCP marked a turning point for the fruit industry to be able to control ripening in order to deliver better apples to the end-user,” said Tom Macphee, Chief Executive Officer, AgroFresh Solutions Inc. “His findings set the standard for the fruit quality consumers expect today.” Consumers recognize the quality Consumers evaluate quality apples based on color, crunch, taste and size. These attributes of fresh-picked quality apples drive repeat purchases. For example, a study by HortKinetix showed 75 percent of consumers prefer to buy apples stored using 1-MCP technology compared with only 28 percent without.2 “A consumer’s home may be a long way from the apple orchard, but thanks to Dr. Sisler’s work, apples maintain their just-picked flavor, crispness and color through storage, transportation, retail display and purchase,” said Macphee. More fruit, less waste After fruit is harvested, it can be exposed to ethylene-rich environments or “hotspots” along the supply chain, causing it to spoil. 1-MCP is a proven solution to preserve quality of fruit to help reduce this waste.3 “With Dr. Sisler’s research as the groundwork, AgroFresh continues to advance fruit quality and looks forward to reducing food waste in the future,” said Macphee.   About AgroFresh AgroFresh Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGFS) is a global industry leader in providing innovative data-driven specialty solutions aimed at enabling growers and packers of fresh produce to preserve and enhance the freshness, quality and value of fresh produce and to maximize the percentage of produce supplied to the market relative to the amount of produce grown. Its flagship product is the SmartFresh? Quality System, a freshness protection technology proven to maintain firmness, texture and appearance of fruits during storage and transport. SmartFresh is currently commercialized in 46 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.agrofresh.com. 1Formerly Rohm and Haas. 2Study carried out for Elstar apples in Germany in 2006 by HortiKenetix. 3University of Bonn. 2015. Michael Blanke. Challenges of Reducing Fresh Produce Waste in Europe – From Farm to Fork. ©2016 AgroFresh Solutions Inc. All rights reserved. Harvista and RipeLock are trademarks of and SmartFresh is a trademark and service mark of AgroFresh.