MOF MAP Controlled Ripening Technology for Extended Shelf Life

Perishable foods are susceptible to spoilage through oxidation, bacterial or mold growth and bruising. Approximately 25-30% of global produce is lost in postharvest supply chain because of poor safety conduct. Fruits and vegetables (F&V) contain critical nutrients (i.e., vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds), that require preservation to prevent degradation. This problem directly affects the Defense Logistic Agency (DLA) Troop Support Subsistence supply chain that provides fresh produce to military professionals stationed all over the world, where shipping can take up to 25 days at a time.The packaging industry is quickly adapting to implement technologies that improve food quality, retain nutrition, inhibit microbial growth and slow enzymatic ripening, thereby extending shelf-life to supply food to the growing population through modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) solutions. Besides standard refrigeration, which is only used for 10% of all perishable goods, MAP solutions are at the forefront of emerging practices. Current state-of-the-art MAP packaging technologies for fresh produce, meats, cheese and other perishable foods use controlled insertion of gases, such as CO2/O2/N2 to minimize spoilage and microbial growth. Few packaging technologies exist to delay the ripening of fruits and vegetables (F&V) to extend shelf-life.  Existing market solutions, such as ethylene adsorbents and inhibitors, such as 1-methyl cyclopropane (1-MCP) are lacking for regulatory concerns and short-term limitations. Ethylene is a plant hormone that accelerates enzymatic ripening of climacteric F&V. Technologies to adsorb ethylene, such as potassium or sodium permanganate sachets, competitively react with moisture and are not safe for food contact. Other inhibitor technologies require a storage facility to treat tarped pallets of fruit. Oceanit proposes to develop novel adsorbent and inhibitor technologies based upon metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are encapsulated and incorporated into box liners, labels or specialty coatings for cardboard. These passive MOF MAP technologies are mobile solutions that will extend the shelf-life of climacteric F&V by delaying ripening during transport. The global food packaging market was valued at $400.3 billion in 2024 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% from 2025 to 2030. MAP packaging is a smaller subset, valued at 16B as of 2023, but is expected to grow fast. Food waste amounts to over 300 MT annually with over 45% attributed to F&V. MOF MAP offers a groundbreaking advancement over current preservation methods, providing an affordable and effective solution for preventing post-harvest food loss. Oceanit will leverage its experience with industry partners to conduct pilot trials, gather user research, and scale production of a MOF MAP solution to delay ripening of F&V and extend shelf-life during transport within the DLA Troop Support Subsistence supply chain.