March 21, 2007

A Ripeness Sticker?

From The Grower

A New Mexico inventor hopes to replace squeezing to determine fruit ripeness with a sticker. Next year, Robert Klein, founder of the Redi Ripe Company, expects to begin using a thumbnail-sized decal that will change color when fruit is ready to eat.

With Mark Riley, Arizona State University agricultural engineering professor, Klein began developing a sticker that measures ethylene concentrations, the naturally occurring hormone involved in fruit ripening. He began testing sticker prototypes during the fall Washington apple harvest. A patent is pending.