Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/37334
Harvest/Postharvest What do consumers think of MCP? Consumers will taste treated and untreated pears. by Geraldine Warner T Kevin Moffitt he Pear Bureau Northwest is planning a study to find out how well consumers like pears that have been treated with MCP (1-methylcyclopropene), which is sold under the brand name SmartFresh. Pears can be treated with MCP after harvest to extend their shelf life and to con- trol scald on sensitive varieties, but, in some cases, treated pears have failed to ripen properly. Kevin Moffitt, Pear Bureau president, said that Dr. Jim Mattheis, postharvest physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wenatchee, Washington, and Dr. Gene Kupferman, retired Washington State University postharvest specialist, will prepare pears for the test, and the consumer testing will be done by the Food Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon. Pears will be treated in the fall and put into storage for testing in November through January, Moffitt said. Both treated and untreated Bartlett pears will be ripened appropriately so they are at the right softness for eating. Mattheis said that for the MCP- treated pears, this will involve keeping them a week or two in warm temperatures after storage, then a week in cold storage to simulate transportation, and another one to two weeks in warm temperatures before consumers taste them. Mattheis said that’s a ripening protocol that researchers spent a lot of time developing so they could have ripe MCP-treated fruit to work with, and it might or might not work on a commercial basis. Consumers will be given slices of pears and asked how well they like them. Moffitt said the objective of the study is to find out whether consumers enjoy treated pears as much as those that have not been treated. It is not designed to assess treatment protocols. AgroFresh, producer and marketer of SmartFresh, was expected to cosponsor the study. • Quality that stands out. Get the quality compact tractor that both stands out and fits in. It’s Kubota’s versatile M7040N. Take on spraying, mowing, hauling and more. All with the slim profile, smart features and reliable power you need in your orchards. 48" width M7040N. Ready to demo at your authorized Kubota dealership. Oregon HOOD RIVER C.M. & W.O. Sheppard, Inc. 102 State Street I-84, Exit 63 (541) 386-3603 Washington GEORGE Blueline Equipment Company 603 Frontage Road Off I-90 at 149 (509) 785-2595 Visit the authorized Kubota dealer near you! MOXEE Blueline Equipment Company 105 North Spokane Street (509) 248-8411 (800) 827-0972 PASCO Blueline Equipment Company 1330 East Broadway Street Off Oregon Avenue (509) 544-6678 SUNNYSIDE Blueline Equipment Company 31501 Yakima Valley Highway (509) 839-2066 (800) 856-9763 EAST WENATCHEE Valley Tractor & Rentals 4857 Contractors Drive Baker Flats Industrial Park (509) 886-1566 (800) 461-5539 www.kubota.com Kubota Tractor Corporation Markets a Full Line of Tractors and Construction Equipment Through a Nationwide Network of Over 1,000 Authorized Dealers. Optional Equipment may be Shown. ©Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2011 16 AUGUST 2011 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com