MIRTECH INC. — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase II: 8.5

Description

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYFAO estimates annual global food loss and waste at roughly 30% of cereal crops, 40 to 50% of root crops, fruits and vegetables and 20percent of oilseed crops with an estimated value for total food loss at US$1-trillion. Many factors along the value chain from farm fields to the family table contribute to food loss and waste however one unseen factor goes unnoticed, the plant hormone ethylene. Ethylene triggers over ripening in bananas, tomatoes, apples and other fruits and vegetables leading to spoilage and food waste. In cereal and oilseed crops, heat and drought stress triggers over production of ethylene leading to reduced pollination, reduced seed weight, and yield loss. Controlling the effects of ethylene both in fruit and vegetable packages, storage, shipment and at the retailer and in the fields greatly contribute to reducing food loss and waste.Research underway by MirTech is leading to novel ways to deliver of an ethylene blocking agent, a bio-pesticide known as 1-MCP (1-methyl cyclopropene). This new delivery technology will enable farmers, food packers, shipping companies, retailers and wholesalers to reduce food loss and waste by maintaining fruit quality and freshness and preventing yield losses in the field to fruit, vegetable, cereal crops and oilseed crop. Already MirTech has been granted patents on this new area of technology. If ultimately successful, MirTech will deliver a critically important tool into the hands of US growers, food packers and shippers and ultimately benefit every consumer.