Recently, AgroFresh, the world's leading post-harvest preservation technology company for fresh fruits and vegetables, announced that 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), the main ingredient in its flagship product SmartFresh, has been officially approved by the Japanese government. It can be widely used in the preservation of key crops such as broccoli. This breakthrough not only provides global growers and exporters with a new quality management tool, but also marks a major advancement for the fresh produce industry.
The SmartFresh™ Quality System now offers two products - SmartFresh SmartTabsTM and SmartFresh ProTabs - to suit the different quality management needs of growers and exporters. Especially for crops with high economic value such as broccoli, consumer demand in the Japanese market is growing rapidly. This approval will undoubtedly open up new market opportunities for exporters.
AgroFresh pointed out that the approval of the 1-MCP active ingredient is not only an affirmation of product quality, but also brings new business opportunities to exporters in Latin America and other regions. SmartFresh not only meets high standards of product performance requirements, but also contributes to the continuous and stable supply of high-quality fresh produce to global markets.
SmartFresh technology significantly extends the freshness of broccoli and other suitable crops by maintaining their color, moisture and crispness. This provides growers and packers with greater operational flexibility during storage and transportation, and ultimately improves economic returns. Additionally, the technology reduces reliance on ice, reducing ingredients and environmental impact by reducing water and energy consumption in cold storage facilities.
Since 2003, AgroFresh has begun commercializing SmartFresh (1-methylcyclopropene) technology and was first used in apple preservation. Since then, the technology has been expanded to a variety of crops such as pears, blueberries, cherries, avocados and stone fruits, and new application methods have been developed in field management, storage and transportation, such as field spraying.
As an international agricultural technology innovation company, AgroFresh Solutions focuses on providing agricultural product preservation solutions and digital technology, aiming to improve the quality of agricultural products and extend their shelf life. In addition to ethylene management technology, the company is developing solutions including biocides, coatings and digital platforms such as FreshCloud™ for quality inspection and Strella sensors for indoor wireless monitoring. Recently, Sumitomo Chemical and Valent BioSciences LLC announced that its subsidiary Pace International LLC and its overseas operations will be spun off and integrated into AgroFresh, further expanding the company's global influence.
Source: AgroPages
