ABSTRACT
It is almost 20 years since 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) was discovered and patented by Ed Sisler and Sylvia Blankenship (Sisler and Blankenship, 1996). 1-MCP is a cyclopropene that is a competitive inhibitor of ethylene perception that acts by binding irreversibly to ethylene-binding sites, thereby preventing ethylene binding and the eliciting of subsequent signal transduction and translation. The process of discovery of the effects of cyclopropenes and their proposed method of action have been described (Sisler and Serek, 2003; Sisler, 2006). 1-MCP is extremely active but unstable in the liquid phase, but is stabilized in a process whereby 1-MCP is complexed with α-cyclodextrin (Daly and Kourelis, 2000). Floralife Inc. obtained regulatory approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1999 for use of 1-MCP on oriculture and ornamental products.
