SmartFresh (SmartFresh Quality System) is a brand of a synthetic produce quality enhancer based on 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). It is marketed by AgroFresh Inc.
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1-MCP’s mode of action is via a preferential attachment to the ethylene receptor, thereby blocking the effects of both endogenous and exogenous ethylene. It is applied in storage facilities and transit containers to slow down the ripening process and the production of the ethylene in fruit. Ethylene agent is not useful for ripe postharvests. The method of prolonging produce lifetime in this way was approved by the EU in 2005.
1-MCP can be combined with the Controlled Atmosphere technology which has been standard industry practice for the past 50 years.[1]
The method came under scrutiny by the press during late 2005, and it was revealed the method is occasionally used to inhibit ripening of fruit by even a year, causing consumers to purchase year-old fruit without being aware of it. Fruits which have been treated with 1-MCP do not underlie any labeling regulations and are therefore non distinguishable from non-treated products.[2]
As of 2006, retailers are split on whether this quality enhancer should be used. In a True Food Network publication of Greenpeace,[3] 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 and antioxidant levels may still decline, a concern also shared by others in the industry.
There are neither absolute certitude nor extensive studies about the health risk of using this product which is destined for a mass distribution scale. It 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".[4]
As of 2009, this product is allowed in more than 26 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, and from the European Union, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, and United Kingdom.[5] The largest customers for this product include Whole Foods Organic Markets and organic produce companies which supply them.[6]
Blankenship, S.M., and J.M. Dole. 2003. 1-Methylcyclopropene: A review. Postharvest Biol. Tech. 28:1-25.