Hello, Con —
Since grilling meat on a barbecue almost always creates some nitrosamines, I’m
assuming that outdoor barbecues have also been banned in Europe? :)
****************************************************************
Dave Rosenberger, Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Cornell’s Hudson Valley Lab, P.O. Box 727, Highland, NY 12528
Office: 845-691-7231 Cell: 845-594-3060
http://blogs.cornell.edu/plantpathhvl/
****************************************************************
On Apr 29, 2014, at 12:00 PM, Con.Traas
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Hello Mosbah,
The cost of smartfresh treatment here is about 10 euros (12 dollars?) per 330kg
bin (700lbs approx.). It feels expensive, especially compared with DPA, which
is very cheap. It does a lot more though.
By the way, I think the issue with DPA from a European perspective is that when
it degrades it forms one or more nitrosamines, which are a group of chemicals
many of which are carcinogenic, though some much more-so than others. So the EU
is seeking to eliminate all sources of nitrosamines from diets, and therefore
DPA is gone.
I do remember when DPA was "cleaned-up", but its breakdown products will be
nitrosamines, regardless of how cleanly it is produced.
Con
________________________________
From:
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
[[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>]
on behalf of Kushad, Mosbah M [[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>]
Sent: 28 April 2014 15:53
To: Apple-crop discussion list
Subject: Re: [apple-crop] apples and chemicals
If you are asking about diphenylamine (DPA), then it is an antioxidants that
blocks the oxidation of alpha farnesene into conjugated trienes in the peel.
Conjugated trienes are what causes the apple/pear peel to turn brown from
regular or superficial scald. It doesn’t help soft scald or sunscald. In the
old days they used to wrap fruits in paper soaked in mineral oil that absorbs
the conjugated triene gas. I have only scene this recently being practiced in
one place. To minimize superficial scald development, harvest fruits when they
are horticulturally mature. Ethoxyquin was removed from the market around the
80’s because it was suspected to cause cancer. However, DPA went through a
rigorous cleaning process to remove any impurities that cause cancer. If you
are asking about 1-methylecyclopropene (1-MCP), also known as SmartFresh, it is
an ethylene action inhibitor. Treated fruits produce ethylene but it does not
work, because the sites where ethylene normally attaches itself, to initiate
fruit ripening, are occupied by 1-MCP. There is no evidence that 1-MCP causes
any harm to human. Some consider 1-MCP as the best thing since CA storage
was introduced in the 30’s -40’s. hope this helps, Mosbah Kushad, university
of Illinois.
Question to Con. What is the cost of using SmartFresh per bushel in your
operation?
From:
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ginda Fisher
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2014 7:08 AM
To: Apple-crop discussion list; Con.Traas; 'Evan B. Milburn'; 'Apple-crop
discussion list'
Subject: Re: [apple-crop] apples and chemicals
Can anyone summarize what this chemical is, why and how it is used, and what
the risks might be to farmers and consumers from its use? I feel like I walked
into the middle of a conversation.
Thanks,
--
Typed with Swype. Who knows what I meant to say?
On April 28, 2014 4:03:51 AM EDT, "Con.Traas"
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Hello Evan and everybody,
Coming from my perspective, where we are now having to cope without DPA for
storing Bramley (culinary) apples, I must say that is it proving tricky, but we
are managing, through use of 1-MCP combined with more complex (and expensive
and risky) storage regimes. So I would say it is technically possible to keep
apples without DPA or ethoxyquin, which we also can’t use, but ironically it
mitigates against the smaller grower, and in favour of the larger ones (big
ag?) who can afford the higher tech gear.
It is ironic that scaring people about pesticide residues on fresh foods
(especially fruits) actually causes people to eat more processed foods (as
though their ingredients do not also get pesticide treatments), as the studies
linking better health with fruit consumption are studies conducted with
conventionally grown fruits with their pesticide residues (if they are not
residue free). In other words, the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables are
there in black and white, even if those fruits and vegetables have residues. It
is far less healthy to switch to a candy bar from an apple, even if that apple
has some residue (so long as that is below permitted levels). However, this is
not a message we can send out, so we are left grappling when emails like this
from EWG are circulated.
The joke of what EWG seems to be doing is producing a dirty dozen or clean
fifteen list is that those lists say nothing at all about the risk of a
pesticide residue on the particular apple in your fruit-bowl. You could be
eating a residue-free fruit from among the “dirty dozen”, or one covered in
pesticide from among the “clean fifteen”.
Despite the differences in regulations between Europe and the US (and I favour
in general the less permissive, more cautious European standards, despite
having to work within their restrictions), our agriculture here is constantly
increasing in scale, and resembles more and more what would be our stereotyped
image of US industrial agriculture. That is because the regulations have more
in common than what separates them, and farming is becoming more and more like
a business, and less like a passion.
I am personally not a fan of industrial agriculture, although I employ mostly
similar methods. However, motivation is a key factor, and for me, the
motivation is not profit maximisation. For the industrial model is about profit
before all else, and that is not a suitable way for the World to produce its
food.
However, as long as Joe public takes the attitude that 7% of their disposable
income is what they will spend on food (that is the Irish %), then agriculture
will continue to become more industrial, as for me that is not a percentage
that can support the production of produce and foods that consumers might feel
more comfortable buying, and might be able to have more confidence in.
So, instead of sending 45 bucks to Ken Cook, I would suggest that Joe public
either sends it to a principled (and hopefully small-scale) farmer someplace
near them, or better still, buys a few fruit trees or invests in a few packets
of seeds, and grows their own pesticide-free produce.
Con Traas
European (Irish) Apple Grower
T: @theapplefarmer
From:
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Evan B. Milburn
Sent: 28 April 2014 02:32
To: Apple-Crop
Subject: Re: [apple-crop] apples and chemicals
This was sent to me from a friend of mine by the name of George. It was send
to him from one of his co-workers.
Evan Milburn
www.milburnorchards.com<http://www.milburnorchards.com/>
Hey Evan what’s this all about?
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