California pear growers pledge to use no anti-ripening treatments
Nature knows best for California pear growers.
California pear farmers have pledged to never use post-harvest treatments like 1-MCP that the growers say can impede ripening for the bartlett pear.
The post-harvest treatment 1-MCP is a synthetic plant growth regulator sometimes used to slow down the ripening of fruit.
“California pear farmers are committed to producing pears that offer the best eating experience for our consumers,” Richard Elliot of Stillwater Orchards, Courtland, Calif., said in a news release.
“What we’ve found in repeated experiments in our lab is that pears treated with 1-MCP take as long as three weeks to ripen and, in fact, they may never get soft and juicy,” Beth Mitcham, a postharvest researcher at the University of California, Davis, said in the release.
California pear season starts in July every year. U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics show the bulk of California pear shipments run from July through October but can extend as late as December in some years.
California pear growers pick pears when they have plenty of sugar and while the fruit is still green in color, according to the release. Bartlett pears can be shipped without damaging the fruit, the release said, and the pears will ripen naturally.
When consumers bring home a California pear, the release said growers can expect to enjoy a ripened pear full of flavor within a few days.
Consumers can enjoy a naturally ripe pear and still extend shelf life and reduce waste, Chris Zanobini, executive director of the California Pear Advisory Board, said in the release. “Consumers can ripen them on the counter to the desired state of ripeness and then store in the refrigerator until they want to eat them,” he said.
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