Advanced Technology for Extending Shelf Life of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables During Storage and Transportation

The DLA is seeking safe, affordable technologies to reduce spoilage of fresh fruits and vegetables (FF&V), with particular emphasis on technologies that capture or mitigate ethylene gas produced by climacteric FF&V.  The technologies should be cost effective, scalable and compatible with current supply chain processes, including refrigerated storage and transportation. METSS is proposing the introduction of a novel chlorine dioxide generation device into existing supply chains that will increase the shelf life of FF&Vs. Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) has been shown to be effective in reducing the ethylene generation of climacteric produce that directly leads to increased ripening. ClO2 is also a known antimicrobial and, at low levels, has proven to be efficacious against organisms that contribute to spoilage. Under the Phase I effort, METSS will demonstrate the ability to generate and maintain safe levels of ClO2 and demonstrate the suppression of ethylene biosynthesis and inhibition microbial growth inhibition as a result of low level ClO2 exposure. METSS will provide quantitative data in support of the proposed solution’s operational compatibility and perform a cost assessment to ensure that the technology is cost-effective.