Organic Certification and Ripening Techniques
Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 4:17 pm
Apparently, they use ethylene gas to quicken the ripening of fruits, both "organic" and regular. One effect of this is that the shelf life of the fruits is considerably shorter.
I'll discuss the chemistry later and the issues that may arise, but first: isn't the use of this technique a betrayal of what people come to expect from something that's "organic"? And more importantly, organic produce seems to spoil quicker then regular produce, which seems to imply that something else (some preservative) is probably used as well... and should this be cause for concern? Is this technique also kinda marketing scheme? (i.e. flowers can be matured faster with this technique, but it also shortens the flower's lifespan. Shorter lifespan for flowers=having to buy more flowers=more money for the people selling them)
I'll get into the specifics of the chemistry later to discuss another concern of mine, but I will say this: plants when they as they ripen do produce ethylene gas naturally. More to follow.
I'll discuss the chemistry later and the issues that may arise, but first: isn't the use of this technique a betrayal of what people come to expect from something that's "organic"? And more importantly, organic produce seems to spoil quicker then regular produce, which seems to imply that something else (some preservative) is probably used as well... and should this be cause for concern? Is this technique also kinda marketing scheme? (i.e. flowers can be matured faster with this technique, but it also shortens the flower's lifespan. Shorter lifespan for flowers=having to buy more flowers=more money for the people selling them)
I'll get into the specifics of the chemistry later to discuss another concern of mine, but I will say this: plants when they as they ripen do produce ethylene gas naturally. More to follow.