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- Readers Respond to MCP
Two readers responsed to last month’s question of the month regarding 1-Methylcyclopropene (MCP).
Commenting on the products reported potential to add consistency to fruit quality, Jack Feil of Wenatchee, Wash. wrote, “ If, as advertised, it will provide the consumer with better product than we now get out of CA only, it will help the apple industry big time.”
- Michael Janket of Willington, Conn. expressed concern about the product’s economic impact, its effects on McIntosh apples and the fact that it is a chemical treatment. He encouraged the industry to remain cautious about using another chemical in their processes. “What if we get shortsheeted in the future as a paranoid public whipped into a frenzy by noted apple expert Ralph Nader decides to descend upon us like a plague of locusts?”
Researchers Randy Beaudry, Michigan State University, and Chris Watkins, Cornell University, fully review MCP in Perishables Handling Quarterly’s November 2001 issue. Perhaps they say it best when their report urged cautious optimism.“The advent of 1-MCP as a commercial tool has tremendous potential to help fruit industries maintain fruit quality. However, because of the long-reaching effects of 1-MCP on apple fruit, cautious adoption of this powerful tool is recommended.”
As they wrote, it will take commercial experience to realize the benefits of the product.
- Michael Janket of Willington, Conn. expressed concern about the product’s economic impact, its effects on McIntosh apples and the fact that it is a chemical treatment. He encouraged the industry to remain cautious about using another chemical in their processes. “What if we get shortsheeted in the future as a paranoid public whipped into a frenzy by noted apple expert Ralph Nader decides to descend upon us like a plague of locusts?”
Copyright 2002 - Great American Publishing - All Rights Reserved
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