AgroFresh Solutions Inc., based in Philadelphia, on June 15 announced three new additions to its Apple Complete portfolio. OMRI-certified CeraFruta-brand and Teycer-brand Originals Prime Elite join Textar-brand DPA as the latest products in its extensive lineup of post-harvest solutions for the U.S. apple industry. OMRI is an acronym for Organic Materials Review Institute. Diphenylamine (DPA) is a plant growth regulator used post-harvest to control storage scald on apples.

AgroFresh describes itself as a global AgTech innovator that provides produce freshness solutions and digital technologies that enhance the quality and extend the shelf life of fresh produce. 

The firm’s press release indicates that CeraFruta, a bio-fungicide approved for organic use, has proven efficacy against a broad spectrum of post-harvest fruit decays thanks to its unique, patented formulation of Natamycin, a naturally occurring molecule derived from soil bacteria with a unique mode of action. This product has been used within the food industry for four decades with no known cases of resistance. 

Teycer Originals Prime Elite is a new apple coating approved for organic use that helps apples stay more firm, smooth, and shiny compared to conventional coatings. The coating integrity remains smooth, without significant whitening, contact-point issues or notable loss of gloss regardless of dilution rate. 

Textar DPA is a trusted scald and CO2 injury inhibitor containing 40% Diphenylamine. Its versatile formulation can be used both for fogging and drenching. For fogging, it is applied using the AgroFresh ActiMist technology. Textar DPA can simultaneously be applied with SmartFresh for fast, controlled-atmosphere establishment to avoid excess of CO2. 

AgroFresh Apple Complete is a comprehensive portfolio of near- and post-harvest ethylene management solutions, as well as fungicides, coatings, sanitizers, and digital monitoring and analytics platforms. This portfolio includes AgroFresh’s SmartFresh Quality System the industry-leading ethylene management solution for the past 20 years, and Harvista-brand 1.3 SC, the only field application of 1-MCP available in the market.

“At AgroFresh, our team of innovators is always working to develop new solutions to improve the produce system and reduce food loss,” says Sarah Enescu, commercial business director North America at AgroFresh. “We’ve been supporting the apple industry for more than 20 years with innovative and revolutionary solutions starting with our SmartFresh (1-MCP) technology. Today, our Apple Complete portfolio supports the apple industry from end to end with unparalleled customer support to make our industry both more sustainable and efficient.” 

"Maximizing pack-outs for the growers and making sure we have a high-quality product for consumers is of highest importance," according to Matt Miles of Allan Brothers Fruit. “Using tools in the industry, we can get the right product to the consumer at the right time, ensuring the best quality, taste, and texture, providing value to the end customer – retailer or consumer.”

AgroFresh commercialized the SmartFresh (1-MCP) technology that began in 2003 with the application on apples. In the last 20 years, it has expanded for use in multiple crops, including pears, blueberries, cherries, avocados and stone fruit, as well as new applications in field, storage and transit, such as field spray application and convenient sachets.