Iowa Public Television


New Sticker Indicates When Fruit and Vegetables are Ripe

posted on July 28, 2006

For most fruit shoppers, picking the freshest peach or pear is more art than science. If a new high-tech sticker works as advertised, it could revolutionize the way consumers and growers pick fruit.

The sticker, called RediRipe, detects a chemical called ethylene gas, which is released by fruit or vegetables as the ripen. According to Mark Riley, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, the sticker will turn from white to blue as the fruit ripens.

Riley says it takes 24 to 48 hours to determine how fast the fruit is ripening. But the stickers are not without own bugs. They have yet to change color to show when a fruit is rotten or simply overripe.

Tags: groceries news shopping vegetables