A new, easy to use test kit will help fruit wholesalers verify organic produce, the Netherlands-based manufacturer says.
The FreshNSure test, manaufactured by Dutch crop analysis specialist NSure, aims to provide a practical and reliable tool to determine whether a batch of pears has been treated with the shelf-life prolonging chemical 1-MCP.
1-MCP, which is prohibited in organic agriculture, leaves no residue after treatment. The FreshNSure test demonstrates whether or not 1-MCP has been applied based on the activity of a specific set of genes. The test is currently available for the important pear variety ‘Abate Fetel’. It will shortly be available for ‘Conference’ pears soon.
This test measures the activity of a selected set of genes that is affected due to 1-MCP treatment. This enables NSure to determine whether 1-MCP has been applied or not. Users of the test apply juice drops from pears to a special card and dispatch to a laboratory – results are normally available within 48 hours.
NSure counts organic fruit organizations and public control bodies as month its biggest customers for the test. The company’s CEO, Theo Aanhane, told Produce Business UK: “Our market really falls in wholesale retail because 1-MCP treatment is not allowed in organic fruit and since it leaves no residue and is not traceable, and sometimes things that can’t be traced will be used, that’s for sure.”
May 3, 2022